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MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT

Catheter-laminating equipment enables users to precisely control and store processing time, speed, and temperature parameters.

Electric lamination equipment has been introduced that uses recirculated air to shrink tubing over catheters. No compressed air is required, and the system’s proprietary design maintains a precise temperature set point between 100° and 650°F, according to Dale Henson, president and principal engineer of Engineering By Design (San Jose, CA, USA).

The four-station machine has two individually driven and heated lamination chambers. One pair of catheters can be laminated in a chamber while two more are being prepared by the operator. The material is attached to SST rods that extend through the heating chambers.

Processing time, speed, and temperature parameters can be stored using the touch screen interface. The ability to precisely control all variables is increasingly important as process specifications get tighter, says Henson. Programmable temperature and speed settings allow tubing to be shrunk at close to its melt temperature. The hot-air recirculation process minimizes heat loss while maintaining precise temperatures. The catheters do not touch the lamination chambers. Temperature setting offsets allow calibration by means of external probes.

By allowing the accurate control of all parameters, the system enables increased productivity through reduced rejects and accelerated processing speeds compared with other machines, says Henson.

Engineering By Design has more than 100 years of collective experience in design, manufacturing, engineering, and management. In addition to medical technology, it has applied its expertise to robotics, semiconductor equipment design, and factory automation. Past medical-related projects have included extrusion pulling and cutting systems, tubing expanders, braider heaters, and coil winders.