TPI January 2009

products & developments

100% inspection of medical tubing made of opaque or transparent material

adjustable to different materials and tube diameters. Sections of tubing not complying with the demanded quality standards can be cut out. The system operates with four cameras, inspecting the tube surfaces completely, objectively and reproducibly, and allows the defining of precise quality standards for medical tubing, main- taining these standards throughout the production process, and ensuring that only completely flawless material is released for sale. The captured data is used beyond the final inspection of the quality assurance process for optimising the production process and avoiding defects from

Pixargus develops and manufactures systems for optical inline measurement and inspection of plastic and rubber profiles. Established in 1999 as a spin- off of the Institute of Plastics Processing (Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung IKV) of the Technical University RWTH of Aachen, Germany, the company specialises in optical quality control of extruded products made of plastics and rubber. The company has launched the new Medictube-S system, which captures even the smallest flaws on the surface of tubing. The inline inspection system detects and classifies different defects such as pimples, bubbles, gel particles, inclusions or small holes, and is flexibly

the beginning. For example, trends in the frequency of occurrence of surface defects are captured in real time, so that remedial action can be taken immediately. The operators can directly intervene and promptly sort out defective material. A special challenge in designing the inspection system was the fact that the outside diameters of many tubes are very small, and defect sizes of less than one tenth of a millimetre have to be detected. At the same time, such tubes are extremely sensitive to mechanical handling. This had to be taken into account in the guiding and threading solution of the system. Pixargus solved this challenge by providing a C-type slot at one side of the inspection unit, enabling the system to be moved into the production line even after the production run has started. The use of high- resolution cameras and a special split light source make the system capable of making even the smallest flaws visible and detecting them reliably. Björn Lindner, managing director of Pixargus, commented on the advantages of the system: “Especially in medical applications, 100% inspections are an absolute must. At production speeds of 50m/min and above, the human eye is unable to detect extremely small irregularities, above all in a transparent material. Also, so-called node monitoring devices, which used to be employed in the past, only measure the outside diameter in two axes. Our new system inspects every individual millimetre of tube from all directions. This ensures that only material of perfect quality is delivered to the customer. The system also helps manufacturers to significantly reduce their production costs.” The tube is illuminated from all directions S S to make defects visible on the complete circumference

Carbon and stainless steel tubes TS Steel Pipe & Fittings Srl is an Italian company specialising in the distribution of carbon and stainless steel tubes for various applications. Among a wide range of products offered, the company delivers from stock seamless pipes for water and gas services (EN 10255, EN 10216-1, S195T and P235TR1). Tubes are produced mainly for use in the machine and building industries, and are used for liquid, air and gas distribution.

TS Steel specialises in carbon and stainless steel tubes S S

These products are produced according to referenced standards for pressure pipeline and distribution systems.

TS Steel is a member of Zeleziarne Podbrezova Group, producing and distributing more than 400,000 tons of steel products per year.

Pixargus GmbH – Germany info@pixargus.de www.pixargus.de

TS Steel Pipe & Fittings Srl – Italy www.zelpo.sk

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Tube Products International January 2009

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