EoW July 2012

News Technology

Breakthrough in micro extrusion

The difference of colours between two cables can be safety relevant. For controlling purposes, visual inspection with colour cards is used to check the acceptance limit of the specified colours. Visual assessments are subject to subjective impression arising from factors such as illumination, angle of vision and colour sensitivity of the observer. SIEBE Colour Match (SCM) is an automatic system to get objective, reproducible and comparable results. A white light source avoids measurement errors with inappropriate illuminants. Cable colours are often specified with RAL colour system or with Munsell colour model. A comparison of the measurement with these systems is possible. This data is stored in a database and serves as reference for productions with the same colour requirement. For the classification in RAL or Munsell colours choose ‘best fit scan’ and you will get the code of the colour shade, that is the most similar to the measured colour. In mode ‘scan with dE’, the measured colour is only accepted within a given tolerance interval around the reference colour. The BH25A is manufactured in two versions, both appropriate for biomedical and other FDA applications. A 420 stainless steel model provides optimum performance for thermoplastics, and a Hastelloy head is specified for use with fluoropolymers. B&H Tool Company Inc – USA Website : www.bhtool.com say these features provide a significant competitive advantage.

B&H Tool Company has introduced the industry’s lowest volume microcrosshead. The BH25A MicroCrosshead with spiral deflector delivers breakthrough micro extrusion performance for applications including microbore tubing, fibre optics and insulated fine wire. Major medical device manufacturers that documented major improvements in process capability and stability tested it. The BH25A can extrude PEEK tubing with a product ID of 0.010" and OD of 0.015". It will extrude FEP insulated fine wire with an OD of 0.00471" and core OD of 0.00157". Tolerances are heavily dependent on the process and material, but are generally in the range of +0.0005". Customers who tested the BH25A MicroCrosshead with spiral deflector achieved exceptional ID/OD control, superior melt flow, highly uniform material distribution, and short residence time. This resulted in extraordinary concentricity and finished surface quality. Customers using this innovative tooling

▲ ▲ The industry’s lowest volume microcrosshead from B&H Tool Siebe Colour Match

Using the teach-in function, new colours can be added to the database enabling customers' own specification or other colour reference systems. The minimal visual width of stripes is approx. 0.5mm. Cable diameter can be 1-10mm (optional bigger sizes with extended optics). The inline version can be integrated into a control system via ethernet without having its own display. Provided with an optional touch screen the device can also be operated stand-alone. An extended version is designed for operation in the quality control or laboratory with mechanics to ensure inspection of short samples. The usage of SCM is not only inline production control. Harnessing the adherence of defined colour values can also be controlled. The database with all relevant product colours can easily be copied as a file from one device to another. This ensures a colour compliance regarding production of same cables in different facilities. SIEBE Engineering GmbH – Germany Website : www.siebe.de

44

EuroWire – July 2012