TPT July 2008

T echnology U pdate

High medical safety due to complete tubing surface inspection

The innovative ProfilControl 5-Medictube inspection system is a system for inline inspection of the quality of medical tubing during the production process and over the complete tube length. Until now, it is claimed such tubes could only be inspected by random checks. ProfilControl 5-Medictube can be used to inspect tubing made of PVC, PE, PUR and rubber. It can also be used in medicine – cardiac catheterization or dialysis, for example. Due to its compact design, the ProfilControl 5-Medictube requires an installation length of only 250mm, and can easily be integrated into existing production lines. The system is suitable for use under clean room conditions. The homogeneity of the tube material plays a decisive role, especially for medical tubing. If inhomogeneities are mistaken as blood or other contaminations (ie in transparent dialysis tubes), or an inclusion in the tube wall is misinterpreted as an air bubble, this can cause irritation or lead to false conclusions.

Pixargus PC 5-Medictube detects such defects during the production process, such as holes, fissures, foreign particles or inclusions in the tubing material. The production staff can immediately take corrective action and sort out the defective material. At the same time it helps to avoid such defects in the future. Besides the fact that the outside diameters of the tubing are often

 The design of the measuring head is so compact that the system can be easily integrated into existing production lines

very small, the semi-transparency of the product surface poses another challenge to inspection system designers. This was one reason why automatic inspection of these materials was not possible in the past. In addition, material-inherent reflexions of the lustrous tube surfaces pose a difficult- to-solve problem for optical inspection systems.

Pixargus has now succeeded in combining light and camera technology in a sophisticated design that despite these difficulties makes material defects visible. Pixargus GmbH – Germany

Fax : +49 241 196 2278 Email : info@pixargus.de Website : www.pixargus.de

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