Tube Forming Machine Control for Medical Delivery Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing extruded tubing for medical delivery systems struggle to consistently achieve accurate delivery performance due to variations in material characteristics, such as durometer and Young's modulus, leading to delivery accuracy errors greater than seven percent.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that determine the relationship between tubing material characteristics, machine operating parameters, and desired performance characteristics to adjust the tube forming machine settings, ensuring that the manufactured tubing meets specific dimensions and material properties within tight tolerances, thereby reducing delivery accuracy errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional extrusion methods are used to manufacture tubing, then production is simpler and faster, but delivery accuracy error exceeds seven percent due to material characteristic variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary characterization of material lots before extrusion, measuring durometer and elastic modulus to establish baseline material properties. This advance knowledge allows the control system to pre-calculate compensatory operating parameters for the extrusion process, ensuring delivery accuracy is achieved despite material variations between lots
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a closed-loop feedback mechanism where material characteristics are measured, processed through a control algorithm, and used to adjust extrusion operating parameters in real-time. The relationship between material properties and delivery accuracy is continuously monitored and corrected through automated parameter adjustment, maintaining precision across different material batches
2Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerances on material characteristics are maintained, then delivery accuracy improves, but manufacturing becomes more difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of attempting to control material characteristics within tight tolerances, the system changes the approach by measuring the actual material parameters (durometer, elastic modulus) and adjusting the extrusion operating parameters accordingly. This parameter transformation approach converts material variability from a problem into a controllable input variable, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining delivery accuracy
3Productivity
If material characteristics vary between manufacturing lots, then production is easier and more flexible, but delivery accuracy varies from one lot to another
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary characterization of each material lot before extrusion, measuring durometer and elastic modulus to establish baseline material properties. This advance knowledge allows the control system to pre-calculate compensatory operating parameters, ensuring delivery accuracy is maintained despite material variations between lots
Solution Approach 2:
A closed-loop feedback system measures material characteristics, processes them through a control algorithm, and automatically adjusts extrusion parameters to compensate for lot-to-lot variations. This feedback mechanism transforms material variability into a controlled parameter, maintaining consistent delivery accuracy across different manufacturing batches
Data Source
AI summary
In a method and system for forming tubing to achieve at least one predetermined performance characteristic relating to the flow of a flowable material therethrough, a relationship is determined between at least one material characteristic of the tubing material, at least one operating parameter of the tube forming machine, and the at least one predetermined performance characteristic of the tubing. Based on this relationship, at least one operating parameter for operation of the tube forming machine to achieve the at least one predetermined performance characteristic is determined. The at least one operating parameter is input into the tube forming machine and the machine is operated to achieve the at least one predetermined performance characteristic.