Originally Published EMDM March/April 2005
Equipment News
Tubing cutter features variable feed rates
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Flexibility is one of the key characteristics of a rotary-blade tubing cutter. The WC600D unit from Eraser Co. (Syracuse, NY, USA) is designed to cut flexible nylon-reinforced polyurethane and PVC hose, rubber hose, and other materials measuring between 12.7 and 28.5 mm OD. Five variable feed rates allow operators to easily select the most appropriate setting for a given application. The unit is equipped with a belt-feed mechanism to avoid crushing of the material along its length and on the cut ends. Ninety-nine programs can be stored in memory to optimize production. The rotary cutting head consistently produces clean, square cuts, and the machine is designed to meet the rigorous demands of medical device OEMs.
Certified to ISO 9001:2000, the firm offers a free sample programme. Potential customers are invited to submit a 1.5- to 3-m-long sample of material, and the firm will recommend the best processing solution from its line of more than 200 products. If necessary, the company can design custom equipment to meet customer requirements.
Tabletop corona treating system introduced
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Typically used to process the ends of medical tubing, a tabletop corona treating system imparts adhesive properties to a range of plastics. The TubeDyne system introduced by 3DT LLC (Germantown, WI, USA) uniformly treats all exposed areas of medical-grade tubes that need to be bonded, marked, or coated.
The tabletop unit comes with an integrated generator, transformer, electrode assembly, and ozone filter. It is suited for small- and medium- to full-scale production runs, and also performs well in laboratory testing applications.
The operator loads the tubing to be treated into a holding device, where it is automatically treated under atmospheric pressure for a preset period of time. Tubes of various diameters can be processed sequentially without necessitating setup changes.
Machine grinds tubular and flat components
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CNC surface, profile, and creep-feed grinding equipment is designed to machine tubular and flat components. The Dominator 624 machine, developed by Jones & Shipman International (Leicester, UK), has helped UK-based Surgical Innovations (SI) to optimize its production of cutting tools for minimally invasive applications.
The SI tools are manufactured in diameters from 5 to 12.5 mm and in a variety of lengths and types to suit various medical procedure locations. Specialized fixtures and custom software, also designed by Jones & Shipman, allow tubes in multiples of seven to be held in a removable clamp during processing. The tubes are finish-ground in two operations. First, the cutting angle is precisely ground on the stainless-steel thin-walled tube. The resulting finish is practically burr free. The clamping block is then rotated and repositioned to allow “arrowheads” to be formed at the point of each cutting tube. The precisely ground edges increase cutting efficiency, resulting in greater user satisfaction. This competitive advantage will contribute to increased demand for SI’s products, says the firm.
Dominator equipment is suited for the production of a range of medical devices, adds Jones & Shipman. Hypodermic needles, catheters, biopsy cutter sleeves, bone pins and saws, eye scalpels, rasps, and hip-replacement operation jigs are among the applications cited by the firm.
Plasma system designed for
high-throughput use
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An in-line gas plasma system provides fast and efficient surface activation and cleaning. The FlexTrak unit offered by March Plasma Systems (Maastricht, Netherlands) is described as a configurable high-throughput system that can accommodate a range of variable-size form factors. Its three-axis symmetrical chamber and proprietary process control ensure uniform treatment of the workpiece and short cycle times.
Gas plasma is a proven technology that can increase a material’s bond strength, wettability and permeability, hydrophobicity, and biocompatibility. It improves bonding between incompatible materials and can be used to reduce friction.
The technology can also be instrumental in the removal of contaminants. Defined gases can be introduced to break covalent bonds in a material, releasing contaminants as volatile by-products that are then vacuumed out of the chamber. Plasma cleaning removes organic and nonorganic materials that may impede bond strength without affecting the material’s bulk properties.
The FlexTrak comes with proprietary software that drives an intuitive graphical user interface. Programming can be done via a touch screen.
Balloon-forming machines feature modular design
Computerized balloon-forming equipment has a modular design to maximize flexibility and facilitate processing of catheter balloons in various sizes and materials. It offers a cost-effective solution to a complex task, according to Interface Associates (Laguna Niguel, CA, USA).
The compact units offer closed-loop control of all parameters. High-strength balloons are produced by means of a stretch-blow moulding process. The balloons are formed from extruded polymer tubing positioned inside electrically heated water-cooled moulds.
The firm also offers noncomputerized balloon-forming machines and related production equipment such as laser measurement systems and balloonwrapping and stent-crimping machines.
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