When it comes to measuring medical devices and prostheses, non-contact technologies are generally preferred because the parts to be measured may be flexible or deform under the action of a contact probe, or else it is not. not allowed to touch them so as not to scratch or contaminate them.
The capabilities of optical metrology systems have hitherto been quite limited in the medical field owing to the fact that this equipment was expensive and not very versatile. Only vision systems, versatile, have been widely adopted by medical device manufacturers to perform 2D dimensional checks on their parts. However, to perform tolerated 3D dimensional measurements and roughness measurements, only conventional CMMs and contact roughness gauges were previously available.
Today, thanks to the development of its range of optical 3D metrology systems, Bruker Alicona makes it possible to perform these different types of controls with a single complete equipment and thus offers manufacturers of medical devices the possibility of measuring tolerated dimensional quantities, position and shape, as well as roughness.
Already widely adopted in the aeronautics and automotive sectors, optical 3D technology is an alternative to classic metrology and is of increasing interest to the medical sector because it allows a large number of points to be evaluated in a more meaningful way. fast, repeatable and connected on micro-geometries not very accessible to contact means, and this even on bulky parts.
When classic contact technologies require a great deal of know-how on the part of operators and are very time consuming, optical 3D metrology provides a highly precise measurement solution that can be easily automated and capable of providing significant productivity gains and competitiveness in production.
In order to illustrate the type of measurements performed by Bruker Alicona optical 3D metrology systems, we have examined the sealing surfaces of four valve components made of different materials used in the medical industry for gas flow control or of liquids.
“The miniaturization and increasing complexity of parts produced by the medical sector make components more and more difficult to measure. Alicona optical 3D metrology solutions make it possible to achieve these new measurement objectives in terms of accuracy, automation and ergonomics, with versatile measurement systems that provide a rapid return on investment for medical device manufacturers ” , says one within the company.
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