TPT May 2012

I nspectIon & T esTing Inspection, testing and quality control

Pixargus GmbH: During inline inspection, the tubing first runs through the Allroundia measuring head (in the background) and then through the Medictube light ring and the Medictube measuring head (shown in the opened condition), which accommodates the cameras

Producers of tubes for medical uses face strict government and industry regulations that hold them liable for lapses in quality. To ensure proper thermal shrink ratios, manufacturers of heat-shrink tube must extrude consistent wall thickness – and certify those thicknesses. Tube makers to the automotive industry must provide product that holds tight tolerances, together with thorough documentation as proof. Plastic tube manufacturers, even as they meet challenges as diverse as the markets and customers they serve,

are under a concomitant obligation to substantiate their claims for the safety and serviceability of their products. Inspection, testing and quality control generally represent high investment, but it is an outlay that the seasoned operator in today’s highly competitive tube and pipe market will not begrudge. These are specialities that come at a price – and justify every penny of it.