Now there’s a coater from Harland Medical Systems that satisfies the need for coating higher unit volume products such as catheters, guidewires and similar products. The FMX Series Coater transports pallets of parts from station to station where each step of the coating process takes place.
The FMX Continuous Coating System is specifically designed for the dynamic medical device industry. Harland Medical Systems understands your need for an automated coating system that can handle larger volume coating and yet remain flexible to keep up with changes in coating processes and device innovations. The highly modular and distributed architecture of the FMX make it easy to add additional process stations to the line, put stations in pass through mode , re-order process stations or even remove stations.
Each process station has its own independent conveyor system that receives parts from the upstream station, performs its process and passes the parts down stream to the next station. Like the other families of Harland Medical coaters, the FMX is controlled through a touchscreen display by CoatingWorksTM 2005 Software, making the system easy to control and new coating protocols simple to create.
Dip Stations
The Dip Coating Station lowers a pallet of devices into individual solution tubes. You program the immersion speed, distance and all-important extraction speed that is right for your device and coating chemistry. Flow directed dipping technology assists the insertion of even thin gauge devices into individual solution tubes. Other available accessories help you control the alignment of devices, monitor coating solution level and measure critical solution properties. Solution tubes are disposable for easy maintenance and cleanup.
Cure Station
After your coating has been applied, the device can be dried and cured with either ultraviolet light or heat as your chemistry requires. The device rotates at a programmed speed for uniform cure on all surfaces. UV sources contain their own internal power supplies, useage meters and thermal protection. Sources are reduced to standby power when they are not curing parts, which conserves bulb life and reduces excess heat. A moving shutter accurately controls curing time. Each curing source is individually monitored for an outage. Intensity can be conveniently checked with an accessory radiometer.
Cleaning Station
You may want to begin your coating process with a cleaning or other preparation step. A cleaning station can be configured in a number of ways including sonication, solvent dip or mechanical wiping. Because the FMX automatically conveys devices from station to station, the devices enter the first coating operation after cleaning without being touched by the operator.Loading and Unloading Stations
The Load and Unload Stations provide a safe and ergonomically comfortable platform for adding fresh devices and removing finished parts. Positioned first in the sequence, the load station allows devices to wait in queue until the process station conveyors call for additional devices. The unload station accumulates finished devices until the operator can remove them.
Spray Stations
For medical devices with complex geometries, the FMX Spray Station is the answer. These stations can be equipped with either low volume/low pressure spray or ultrasonic spray for fine atomization. The spray process is enclosed in a chamber to control overspray. Individual controls vary the spray pressure and the shape of the spray plume. Your device can be rotated, if necessary, to provide uniform coating distribution. Coating solution management options include fluid level monitoring, agitation and recirculation.
