System and method for validating the crimping of a vial having a stopper and a cap

A method for validating the crimping of a vial having a stopper and a cap, comprising:

• positioning a vial, a stopper and a cap in a crimping cylinder, the crimping cylinder having a piston and a plurality of crimping jaws interacting with the piston;
• moving the piston in a downward direction, the movement causing the crimping jaws to move to a closed position;
• moving the piston further in a downward direction, the further movement causing the crimping jaws to crimp the cap along a neck of the vial;
• and
• validating the crimping based on a position of the piston in the crimping cylinder.

An apparatus for validating the crimping of a cap to a vial, comprising:

• a housing;
• a piston moveable within the housing;
• at least one crimping jaw coupled to the piston, wherein movement of the piston in a first direction causes the at least one crimping jaw to move to a closed position and movement of the piston in a second direction causes the at least one crimping jaw to move to an open position;
• a position sensor for sensing the position of the piston;
• a controller coupled to the position sensor for validating the crimping of the cap to the vial based on the position of the piston;
• and
• an indicator for indicating whether the crimping was validated.