From the Cover of EMDM
Pyrogen-free materials
Pyrogen-free fabrics are manufactured by a supplier of woven materials for medical and diagnostic applications. Mesh components are fabricated in a Class 10,000 cleanroom, and the company recently introduced a cold-plasma treatment process that modifies a material's surface properties without affecting the substrate. The firm welcomes collaborative projects with customers that involve either improving the properties of existing fibres or developing new materials. The company, which operates according to good manufacturing practices, is certified to ISO 9001. SaatiTech S.p.A., Appiano Gentile (CO), Italy.
Catheter tester
A multichannel tester routes air through a catheter to check for outer-wall integrity, occlusion, and interlumen leaks. A luer connecting nest (LCN) maintains a tight seal between the product and the tester. Using spring-loaded holders riding on independent linear bearings, the LCN eliminates retraction force while applying consistent force to the product. It also has a self-alignment feature. The Sprint-LC multichannel catheter tester can store up to 99 programmes, each of which can be linked to any other programme to enable users to conduct several tests on the same product in one unified test sequence. The tester is available with a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-channel setup and includes RS-232 communication ports and a built-in I/O interface. Uson Europe, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Coils and wire forms
Precision coils are manufactured from round or shaped medical-grade materials and coated wires in diameters down to 0.08 mm. A supplier of precision coils and wire forms for the medical device industry, the company's product range includes multifilar implant coils for pacemakers and defibrillator leads, catheter and guidewire coils, microvalve springs, and coils with variable initial tension. Emphasis is placed on achieving product consistency and reducing process variation through aggressive use of statistical process control. The company offers quick turnaround on prototypes. Vadnais Technologies Corp., St. Paul, MN, USA.
