How Invotec provided flexible testing in the form of a multi-station, semi-automated system.

The Challenge

A catheter manufacturer was looking for development equipment to be used in their research lab. They wanted the capability to perform testing and analyze the coating and curing process of a variety of materials across products of differing lengths. Most of the details of the tests were kept confidential, but they included adjusting factors such as product height, curing temperature, coating and curing duration, and UV intensity.

For research and development purposes, the equipment needed to be flexible and easily adaptable. That said, like production equipment, the team had to adhere to strict safely and quality  protocols. Additionally, the team wanted to implement details that would ensure tests were run consistently across different operators and shifts.

Our Solution

The coating station has slides and breadboards that allow the customer to attach custom tooling and/or their own tooling and completely configure the setup to their individual tests. During the coating process, this flexibility allows the customer to experiment with techniques for applying the coating to their product.

Additionally while the station is fully customizable, it includes a measuring scale that helps accurately set dimensions across multiple test sequences.

Once the product is coated, an operator transfers it to the curing system.

Here is how the system works:

• The curing station can accommodate four catheters at once in the chamber. Each one is spun 360 degrees for an even distribution of light.
• The customer can adjust features of the system to test parameters such as how the light bounces, how close the lights are to the parts, how long the parts are exposed to the light, and how fast the parts spin.
• Finally, The system also includes a sliding sensor to measure the intensity of the UV light.

Results

We knew the challenges the customer faced and were happy to help implement equipment to solve them. These included creating a flexible testing system where operators can easily adjust configuration, speed, and cycle time while remaining protected from UV light exposure. Additionally proving tools for accuracy and automation within the tests to ultimately give the customer a unique combination of flexibility and consistency.

Are you looking to increase accuracy and scale up production for your organization? Contact us today!