Tablet Friability Tester (Friabilator)
Tumbles a sample of uncoated tablets in a rotating drum to see how much weight they lose by chipping and abrasion. Shows whether tablets can survive coating, packing and transport.
- Pharmaceutical
- Nutraceuticals
- Veterinary medicines
- Food tablets
How Friability tester works
Tablets are tumbled and dropped from a fixed height a fixed number of times. Weak edges and surfaces chip off and the loss in weight reflects how well the tablet resists abrasion and shock.
The path of a sample
- 01
Sample
Take the specified number of whole tablets (for small tablets, enough to weigh about 6.5 g; for larger tablets, commonly 10).
- 02
Dedust and weigh
Remove loose dust and weigh the tablets accurately (W1).
- 03
Tumble
Place the tablets in the drum and rotate 100 times at 25 ± 1 rpm.
- 04
Dedust and reweigh
Remove the tablets, dedust them and weigh again (W2).
- 05
Calculate
Friability % = (W1 − W2) ÷ W1 × 100; check for broken tablets.
Main parts and what they do
Drum
Transparent synthetic polymer drum with a curved internal projection and a removable lid.
Drive motor
Rotates the drum at 25 ± 1 rpm.
Revolution counter / timer
Stops the drum after the set number of revolutions or time.
Dual-drum models
Some testers have two drums for testing two samples at once.
Terms every analyst should know
Friability
The tendency of tablets to lose material by chipping and abrasion during handling.
Drum
Transparent drum with a curved projection that lifts the tablets and drops them on each turn; dimensions are defined in the pharmacopoeia.
Repeat testing
If the result is hard to interpret or the weight loss is above the limit, the test is repeated twice more and the mean of three tests is used, as the chapter describes.
Tilted drum
For large or awkwardly shaped tablets that jam, the drum may be tilted so the tablets tumble freely, as allowed by the chapter.
Keep every Friability tester in control: usage logs, calibration and maintenance schedules, and automatic blocking of overdue instruments.