Esempi di
applicazioni
Bio Med Sciences Automate Quality
Control Data Collection
When thinking of something you don’t want to break or tear when
stretched, rubber bands, bungee cords, fishing lines, cables, your
pants, maybe even muscles come to mind. But definitely not your skin.
The elasticity and strength of our skin is something we all take for
granted. But not Bio Med Sciences, Inc., Bethlehem, PA, who since
1987, has produced a patented "synthetic skin" formulation which
combines the properties of silicone and polytetrafluoroethylene (commonly
known as "teflon") and is used for biomedical applications.
Silon Products
In producing their formulation, Bio
Med developed a simple system that increases productivity and
accuracy during the quality control testing of their formulation.
The elasticity and strength of the formulation, named Silon-IPN, is
critical, since Bio Med has developed it for a wide variety of
commercial applications including the healing and treatment of
wounds and burns. These commercial applications comprise the family
of Silon-IPN products, which include (i) Silon-TSR Temporary Skin
Replacement, a dressing substance for promoting moist wound healing
and pain reduction for patients; (ii) Silon-SES Silicone Elastomer
Sheeting , a soft and durable material used with pressure garments
worn during the care of wounds to promote healing and patient
comfort and reduce keloids (scar tissue) and hypertrophic scaring; (iii)
Silon-STS Silicone Thermoplastic Splinting, a material which
combines a therapeutic surface of silicone with a moldable orthotic
material to manage burn scars and scar treatment.
Automating Quality Control
Measurements
Initially, Bio Med performed quality
control strength and elasticity testing manually. The manual
pendulum-type measuring system, which involved manually transcribing
force load and elongation measurements on paper and then typing them
into a Microsoft Access database, proved to be time consuming and
error-prone. Mark Dillon, a materials engineer and the president of
Bio Med, designed an automated quality control testing system to
ensure quality and consistency in their manufacturing. In designing
the system, Dillon sought measuring tools that would allow
automation and a software program to serve as a communication
interface between his measuring instruments and his Microsoft Access
database. Dillon preferred to maintain his data in Access since he
had already developed an Access-based reporting system.
To determine the strength
characteristics of the manufactured Silon materials, the breaking
point force and elongation of the materials are measured as samples
are pulled on a tension tester. To accomplish this, the samples are
placed on a tension and compression testing machine (manufactured by
Chatillon, Greensboro, NC, model number TCD200) with a force gage (manufactured
by Mark-10 Corporation, Hicksville, NY, model BG-10) mounted on it.
The samples are then stretched to the breaking point. The breaking
point measurements, including the force applied and elongation, are
then transmitted automatically to a PC running a Microsoft Access
7.0 database in Windows 95. These maximum tension strength values
are then compared to quality control values in the Access database.
The automation of the quality
control testing is possible since both the tension and compression
testing machine and the force gage have RS232 output. Both devices
are connected directly to two different serial ports on the PC. The
readings are filtered and sent to the Access database using the
SoftwareWedge™ for Windows Standard version (WinWedge) data
acquisition software from TAL Technologies, Philadelphia, PA
(800-722-6004, www.taltech.com). WinWedge serves as the
communication interface between the two measuring devices and the
Access database. The Wedge communicates with each device
independently and directs the data to the appropriate fields in the
Access database.
WinWedge Benefits
Dillon found that by automating the
quality control strength testing, the process takes half as much
time as the manual process. Dillon noted, "The data entry used to
take as much time as the actual testing and analysis". Dillon added,
"WinWedge has saved us a lot of time and improved our accuracy to
100%."
Additionally, Dillon recently began
developing strength profiles by graphing the force load data
continuously over time in Microsoft Excel. The elongation can also
be calculated since the samples are pulled at a constant rate (distance=rate
x time).
For more information on the
innovation taking place at Bio Med Sciences, please visit their web
site at http://www.silon.com.
Benefits
- 50% time reduction in data
collection and analysis
- 100% data accuracy ensured
- Confident all manufactured
material within quality guidelines
- Immediate access to quality
control data
- Allows real time strength
profile analysis
- Versatile, cost effective
solution
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