Airborne ultrasound technology is a non-destructive, ASTM recognized, deterministic test method that produces quantitative and traceable pass/fail results. ABUS is specifically referenced in ASTM F3004-13 and USP<1207>.

In medical/pharma (flex) packaging, airborne ultrasound is typically applied for detecting larger leaks and seal failures, rather than micro leaks relevant to sterile products or turbulent gas flow.

ABUS is suitable for any packaging material and is best for inspection of seals and edges of pouches, film, and laminated materials. ABUS systems can be deployed in automated or semi-automated configurations to support routine quality control in manufacturing environments.

ABUS inspection identifies seal defects by transmitting and receiving high-frequency sound waves (400~500Khz) propagated through a seal area. Seal defects containing trapped air, material enclosure which creates an acoustic mismatch that attenuates or reflects the ultrasonic signal, producing a measurable disruption relative to intact seal.

One limitation of airborne ultrasound inspection is method susceptibility to poor signal to noise ratios due to seal manufacturing conditions. Certain seal materials and structures can attenuate or scatter the ultrasonic signal in a fashion comparable to defects, resulting in reduced signal clarity and diminished defect detectability.

As an offline bench-top system, ABUS is good to generate an acoustic image of seal profile (to have a clear picture of defective seal) and perform a width analysis across the whole seal (for seal width assurance); as online inspection, it is effective to detect leaks such as incomplete seal, seal enclosure, corner defect, shorter seal, wrong sea-profile, etc.