Accelerated Aging and Shelf Life Testing by QRA International - Get your Products Tested Today
The video above shows the Lab (No. 1) in Singapore running 10 test chambers 24 hours 7 days a week for key biomedical customers from Singapore, USA and Thailand. Accelerated aging is a process in which finished biomedical products are aged in test cabinets called chambers for months for simulate the actual shelf life of the product in their client's storage facility. QRA has been operating its Labs for over 15 years now, successfully serving many top MNC corporations from Japan, Singapore, Australia, Thailand and USA.
If after the aging tests (for every one year of aging test represents 8 years of shelf life in the storage area of hospitals or clinics) defects show up, it is infinitely better to rectify the products in factory rather than endanger the client's patients in the field. The cost of refining or reworking the products' reliability and long term efficacy has proven to save companies millions of dollars in brand reputation and perception.
This is many times the difference between success and failure.
Think of the damage to the brand's reputation if this batch of new (for example) contact lenses causes a major eye defect once the product is sold and distributed globally.
Screening = Accelerated Aging
The calculation is simple. According to ASTM F 1980 - 16
For example, if you have a finished product (say daily contact lenses) stored in a box, which has a shelf life of 3 years or 36 months. The ASTM F 1980 - 16 states that for every 10 C increase in storage temperature is equivalent to halving the shelf life. So in essence, if your storage temperature for your box is 25 C, you can send these box samples to a Laboratory like QRA, we will advise you to do accelerated aging for up to 30 C above the storage temperature (that is IF the products inside the boxes can withstand such high temperatures without melting or having immediate material characteristic change) for shorter durations.
The end result of these accelerated agings would be
Shelf Life Temp End of Life Accelerated Aging Temp Equivalent End of Life
25 C 36 months 35 C 18 months
45 C 9 months
55 C 4.5 months
It is NOT RECOMMENDED to stress test or accelerate age test above 60 C for polymer products due to rapid degradation due to melting.
QRA performs BOTH Accelerated Aging and Shelf Life Testing
Lab No. 1 and Lab No. 2
Shelf Life Testing
Storage RHDurationWhat is Simulates
25 C 60%5 Years Real Time Storage
5 C No. 5 Years Real Time Storage (Temperate Climate Countries)
Talk to the Professionals : We have over 15 Years Experience Globally in Accelerated Aging Tests (since 2009)
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