Wire Basket for Medical Device Manufacturing
Wire Basket for Medical Device Manufacturing
Wire basket for processing stainless steel medical tubes used in laparoscopy
An East Coast medical device manufacturer needed a wire basket solution that could hold 200 stainless steel medical tubes that are used in laparoscopy. The wire basket would need to hold the tubes securely in place through nitric passivation and aqueous cleaning, robotic loading and unloading, Scotch Bright, and transportation.
- Part Number: OIS-181219
Customer Requirements
The customer needed a medical device wire basket that could hold 200 tubes throughout various stages of a process, and the tubes could not have metal to metal contact with one another. In addition, the medical device basket had to properly drain and leave no water marks or scratching from processing on the tubes. The ultimate goal was for the tubes to clear the process with minimal markings while also achieving optimal throughput.
Our Solution
Three M Tool’s engineering team started with the physical part’s required dimensions and delivered a prototype design for the customer to evaluate. We then worked with the customer to evaluate and refine the design, reviewing questions and resolving issues before generating a physical prototype for the customer to test. The design was for a custom wire basket that separated the stainless steel tubes without using metallic bodies. We also devised a special configuration for the opening shapes in the grids to allow for the medical device manufacturer’s robot to sense the part position and location while preventing witness markings. Each of the panels were fixtured and CNC milled for precise tolerances.
“Three M has been instrumental in supporting new process development for our cleaning and finishing operations…and has responded to our needs quickly and has supported us after the initial order has been completed. They always deliver a well made and well designed product. Customer service has been excellent.”
-Dave, Senior Manufacturing Engineer for a Medical Device Manufacturer