Pharmaceutical Testing

Many pharmaceutical testing services are offered at Micom Laboratories. We provide the pharmaceutical industry with a wide range of material and packaging testing services including primary and secondary container testing. Whether you need accelerated aging of sterile barriers, internal pressurization failure, light resistance, package testing, or material testing, our experts will be pleased to help you assemble a meaningful test plan to address your needs, give you real answers and provide actionable insights.

Micom Laboratories is proud to be the only material testing lab in North America accredited by the World Health Organization for cold chain testing. This prestigious accreditation demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the quality and integrity of pharmaceutical products throughout the distribution process.

Testing Services

Our testing services cover mechanical and physicochemical material testing for the pharmaceutical industry according to various standards (ASTM, ISO, MIL-STD, ISTA, ANSI, CSA & others). Our specialists can also provide you with custom test services focused on your specific needs.

Our facilities allow us to test a wide range of raw materials and finished products.  Whether you need temperature cycling testing, thermal shock testing, corrosion testing, composite materials testing or accelerated aging testing, Micom’s staff is available to support your technical requirements.

Pharmaceutical testing « à la Carte »

We understand that every pharmaceutical product has unique testing requirements. That’s why we offer pharmaceutical testing “à la carte,” allowing you to customize our services to meet your specific needs. Whether you require testing for films, sterile barriers, seals, or other components, our team will work with you to develop a comprehensive test plan that addresses your specific concerns and requirements.

Films, Sterile Barriers and Seals

• ASTM F1980-07(2011) Standard Guide for Accelerated Aging of Sterile Barrier Systems for Medical Devices
• ASTM D6653/D6653M-13 Standard Test Methods for Determining the Effects of High Altitude on Packaging Systems by Vacuum Method
• ASTM D3420-08a Standard Test Method for Pendulum Impact Resistance of Plastic Film
• ASTM D1922-09 Standard Test Method for Propagation Tear Resistance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting by Pendulum Method
• ASTM F1886/F1886M-09(2013) Standard Test Method for Determining Integrity of Seals for Flexible Packaging by Visual Inspection
• ASTM F1929-12 Standard Test Method for Detecting Seal Leaks in Porous Medical Packaging by Dye Penetration
• ASTM D3045 Standard practice for heat aging of plastics without load.
• ASTM G154  Standard Practice for Operating Ultraviolet (UV) Fluorescent Lamp Fixtures for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials
• ASTM G155 Standard Practice for Operating Xenon Arc Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials

Packages

The integrity of packaging is critical in the pharmaceutical industry. We offer a range of package testing services to ensure the reliability and durability of your packaging systems. Our testing methods include drop tests, performance testing of shipping containers and systems, compressive resistance testing, random vibration testing, and more. With our expertise in package testing, you can have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of your pharmaceutical products during transportation and storage.

ISTA Testing

• ISTA 1A – Packaged-Products 150 lb (68 kg) or Less
• ISTA 1B – Packaged-Products Over 150 lb (68 kg)
• ISTA 1C – Extended Testing for Packaged-Products 150 lb (68 kg) or Less
• ISTA 1D – Extended Testing for Packaged-Products Over 150 lb (68 kg)
• ISTA 1E – Unitized Loads of Same Product
• ISTA 1G – Packaged-Product 150 lb (68 kg) or Less (Random Vibration)
• ISTA 1H – Packaged-Products Over 150 lb (68 kg) (Random Vibration)
• ISTA 2A – Packaged-Products 150 lb (68 kg) or Less
• ISTA 2B- Packaged-Products Over 150 lb (68 kg)
• ISTA 2C – Furniture Package
• ISTA 3A – Packaged-Products for Parcel Delivery System Shipment 70 kg (150 lb) or Less
• ISTA 3B – Packaged-Products for Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Shipment
• ISTA 3E – Similar Packaged-Products in Unitized Loads for Truckload Shipment
• ISTA 3F- Packaged Products in Mixed Pallet Loads for Regional Shipment 100 lb (45 kg) or Less
• ISTA 3K – Fast Moving Consumer Goods in the European Retail Supply Chain
• ISTA 4AB – Packaged-Products for Shipment in Known Distribution Channels
• ISTA 6-AMAZON.COM-SIOC – Ships in Own Container (SIOC) for Amazon.com Distribution
• ISTA 6-AMAZON.COM-OVERBOXING – System Shipment e-Commerce Fulfillment for Parcel Delivery
• ISTA 6-FEDEX-A – FedEx Procedures for Testing Packaged Products Weighing Up to 150 lbs
• ISAT 6-FEDEX-B – FedEx Procedures for Testing Packaged Products Weighing More Than 150 lbs
• ISTA 6-SAMSCLUB – Packaged-Products for Sam’s Club Distribution System Shipment
• ISTA 7D – Temperature Test for Transport Packaging

ASTM Testing

• ASTM D642 – Determining Compressive Resistance of Shipping Containers, Components, and Unit Loads
• ASTM D880 – Standard Test Method for Impact Testing for Shipping Containers and Systems
• ASTM D999 – Vibration Testing of Shipping Containers
• ASTM D5276 – Standard Test Method for Drop Test of Loaded Containers by Free Fall
• ASTM D4169 – Standard Test Method for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems
• ASTM D4332-13 – Standard Practice for Conditioning Containers, Packages, or Packaging Components for Testing
• ASTM D4728 – Standard Test Method for Random Vibration Testing of Shipping Containers

Material Testing

We provide a wide range of material testing services to assess the mechanical properties, durability, and performance of pharmaceutical materials. Our testing capabilities include tensile strength testing, compressive strength testing, flexural strength testing, foam testing, moisture absorption testing, and more. With our testing expertise, we can help you evaluate the quality and suitability of materials for your pharmaceutical products.

• Tensile Strength – ASTM D638, D1623, D-2990, D5574
• Compressive Strength – ASTM D695, D2990, D4762
• Flexural Strength – ASTM D790, D3043, D5616
• Foam – ASTM D3574
• Moisture Absorption – ASTM D570
• Particle Board Testing – ASTM D1037
• Specular Gloss – ASTM D523
• Conical Mandrel – ASTM D522
• Hardness – ASTM D2240
• Color Measurement – ASTM D-2244
• Abrasion Resistance – ASTM D4060
• Flatwise Tensile Strength of Sandwich Constructions – ASTM C297
• Coating Film Thickness – ASTM D1196
• Paint Adhesion – ASTM D3359
• Salt fog exposure – ASTM B117

Accelerated Aging

• Climatic Chamber – Humidity, temperature cycling -78oC to +150oC, 10 – 95% RH
• UV Testing – ASTM G155, ASTM G154,  ISO 4892
• Salt Spray – ASTM B117, ISO 7253, ASTM D1735, ASTM D2247, ASTM D5894, ASTM G85
• Heat Aging Testing
• Laboratory simulations of field failures
• Thermal Shock Testing (-78oC to +200oC)
• HASS/HALT
• High & low-temperature tensile & compression tests

Coating and Inks Testing

The quality and durability of coatings and inks used in pharmaceutical packaging are vital to ensuring product safety. We offer comprehensive testing services for coatings and inks, including Weather-Ometer®️* testing, UV exposure testing, taber abrasion testing, gloss testing, salt spray testing, and scratch resistance testing. These testing methods help you assess the performance and reliability of coatings and inks, providing confidence in their long-term functionality.

• Weather-Ometer^®️* Testing, Q-UV, U.V. exposure – ASTM G155, ASTM G154
• Test Chamber – Temperature and Humidity cycling
• Taber Abrasion – ASTM D4060
• Gloss – ASTM D523
• Salt Spray – ASTM B117
• Scratch Resistance – ASTM D3363

Contact Our Pharmaceutical Material and Packaging Testing Lab

If you have any questions about medical packaging testing, we invite you to contact our material testing lab today. It will be our pleasure to answer your questions and help you with your custom testing requirements.

*Weather-Ometer®️ is a registered trademark of Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC