WCA May 2014

Technology news

The quality offensive continues

maximum operating temperature rating of 105ºC (UL-1581). Besides superior performance in autoclaving, the three compounds also retain high levels of tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation after gamma irradiation and EtO sterilisation. They are resistant to the cleaning and antimicrobial solutions commonly used in medical facilities. The new TPEs are manufactured in an ISO-13485 facility dedicated to Medalist medical elastomers. Medalist 8421, 8431 and 8451 compounds pass ISO-10993-5 cytotoxicity testing, are RoHS- and REACH-compliant. Minnesota Wire – USA Website : www.mnwire.com Teknor Apex – USA Website : www.teknorapex.com continuous In control with Sitel In Sitel Control’s treatment lines, the material is first heated to a temperature between about 850 and 950°C, followed by a sharp cooling in water (hardening section) and further heating to a temperature between 450 and 700°C (tempering section). The combination of the two operations constitutes the hardening and tempering operation: the hardened and tempered material acquires a structure with a very fine grain with a considerable increase in the limit of elasticity, flow limit and resistance to tensile stress. For a correct thermal treatment of material, a fibre optic infrared thermometer is used, the model Fibratemp. The optical measuring head and the optical fibre can stand at ambient temperatures up to 315°C without cooling. These thermometers have a range of temperature from 250 to 600°C and from 600 to 1,200°C, with response time of 20ms and a precision of 0.25 per cent. Sitel Control Srl – Italy Website : www.sitelcontrol.it

SIKORA continues its product offensive for quality assurance in drawing towers with the new fibre lump 6003 micro. This sets a quality statement in the fast growing fibre market. The new lump detector detects faults on the fibre surface 100 per cent continuously during the drawing process at a speed of up to 3,000m/ min. This performance is achieved by the use of six measuring axes. Shadow areas are eliminated and even the smallest faults of a height from 5µm are detected. The length of detectable faults is 50µm. In combination with a double sensor technology, punctual non-conformities are detected. The fibre lump 6003 micro is designed for product diameters from 100 to 500µm. The device can easily be integrated into new or existing drawing towers, and can be connected to both the Sikora display and control system fibre ecocontrol or to a line computer. In addition to installation in drawing towers, the fibre lump 6003 micro is suitable for colouring lines. Minnesota Wire, a specialist in the custom design and production of cable assemblies for medical devices, has replaced the thermoplastic vulcanisate (TPV) elastomers that are standard in such applications with new styrenic thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-S) compounds from Teknor Apex Company, citing better performance initially and after autoclaving, superior processing, and an enhanced look and feel in the end product. The TPE-S compounds, Medalist ® MD-8421, MD-8431, and MD-8451, comprise a series within Teknor Apex’s Medalist product range, a diversified family of high-purity medical elastomers that also includes other TPE types, among them TPVs. Enhanced electrical properties are another advantage of the new Medalist compounds cited by Jeff Lewison, design engineer. “We can run cables

Dr Siegmar Lampe, head of research and development at Sikora, said: “The response to our fibre laser 6003 for the measurement of the diameter, position, vibration frequency, tension and the spinning of fibres, confirmed our decision to bring this additional lump detection device to the market. “We have also received many customer inquiries regarding the detection of very short fault lengths from 50µm.” Sikora AG – Germany Website : www.sikora.net ❍ The new fibre lump 6003 micro from Sikora with thinner walls, which enables them to coil better, and the improved electricals enable us to use these compounds in insulation as well as jacketing.” The white paper by Teknor Apex will provide test data comparing the three new Medalist compounds with a standard medical-grade TPV used in wire and cable. In tests measuring tensile strength and elongation, all three Medalist grades exhibited greater values for these properties prior to autoclaving and greater property retention after as many as 15 autoclave cycles. Medalist MD-8421, MD-8431 and MD-8451 elastomers can be used for insulation, jacketing and moulded fittings and connectors. They have Shore A hardness levels of 92, 69, and 82, respectively, a flammability classification of HB (UL-94), and a

Just the tonic with better medical performance from Minnesota

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2014

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