Vision systems ensure quality of medical devices: one assembler uses machine vision to inspect dialysis filters passing by at 400 millimeters per second.(QUALITY in ASSEMBLY)

Assembly, January, 2009 by Sprovieri, John

Medical devices pose a special challenge for inspection technology. They're produced at high volumes--and thus, high speeds--yet every assembly must be perfect. No defects can be tolerated. What's more, the inspections often require precise measurements of very small features. In short, medical devices are the perfect application for machine vision.

A case in point--no pun intended--is a needle inspection system at the B. Braun Medical Inc. assembly plant in Penang, Malaysia. Equipped with a high-resolution vision system from PPT Vision Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN), the system inspects more than 60 different needle assemblies ranging from 25 to 100 millimeters in length. The system takes several measurements of each assembly, including the length and insertion depth...

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