Catheter Processing System

The dial tooling was designed with spring-loaded ball bearings to handle the variety of catheter sizes. Existing punches were used to punch the holes. A die set like fixture was designed to hold the punches and provide a means to get rid of the small latex slugs. The drainage holes had to be burned one at a time, which required two stations. The iron temperature had to be kept constant; therefore, an infrared temperature meter with feedback to the temperature controller was used. A high-pressure water blast was used to clean any buildup off the irons. Fumes and a black residue from the burn process also had to be removed. Funnels were trimmed using a guillotine type cutter that would trim the funnels and contain the scrap until the guillotine blade was at the end of its travel. Finished catheters were automatically removed from the dial fixture and placed on a table near the operator station.