Medical equipment cleaning during manufacturing with dry ice blasting

Medical equipment cleaning during manufacturing is an important process that every manufacturers need to perform carefully. While old method is not so effective with modern equipment that requires high precision. To solve that problem, Specco2 recommend manufacturers use dry ice blaster to clean medical equipment in manufacturing process

The importance of cleaning medical equipment during manufacturing process

When it comes to medical equipment manufacturing, a lot of factors need great attention, precision, and consideration. Among them are cleaning, maintaining, deflashing, or even deburring products. This is because many pieces of equipment are small in size and finely detailed. Not to mention they are also expensive too.

Build-up residues within every nook of small mold and expensive implements during the production of the high tolerance medical device parts can affect the product’s outcome greatly.

This will eventually result in scrap rates elevating, parts’ tolerances not meeting, and even mold’s cavity clogging. Thus, it can also halt the performance of the tooling. Furthermore, the residues can also prevent the imprinting of small yet essential detail, such as the measuring scales on syringes.

Cleaning is generally time-consuming due to the tiny size of the mold cavity and, in many cases, the fragile nature of the equipment. High levels of tolerance on parts necessitate stringent quality control, which means cleaning must be prioritized alongside manufacturing to assure product and quality. Manufacturers have used a range of cleaning and finishing processes to clean and preserve equipment and parts.

While Covid pandemic is happening, the manufacture and distribution of medical equipment is critical for medical equipment manufacturing companies. Before the device may be delivered, it must first fulfill GMP regulations before it can be packed and shipped.

Traditional method of cleaning medical equipment during manufacturing

Several cleaning methods for medical equipment with demanding criteria have been tested by medical device manufacturers. Among the approaches used are the following

• To clean the part’s microscopic mold cavities, a catheter tip maker utilized isopropyl alcohol and brushes. The procedure was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it was frequently inconsistent and insufficient. Furthermore, direct contact with the molds usually put the costly equipment at danger of damage.
• Another catheter tip company had to chill, dismantle, and cleanse their molds. Each cavity was bored by hand and examined under a microscope. Before manufacturing, the molds had to be rejoined and warmed.
• During the production of high precision components, a medical stent maker employed a mini sandblaster to remove residue from pricey clamps. Prior to cleaning, the tooling had to be dismantled, and the abrasive blasting procedure quickly wore down the tooling. Sandblasting ruined the clamps after 2-4 cleanings. Secondary garbage was also generated as a result of the sandblasting.
• To eliminate build-up, a medical manifold maker would unscrew its molds, immerse them in oven cleaning, and then scrub them. After cleaning, the molds needed to be dried, reassembled, and reheated.
• One surgical tool manufacturer used hand scraping to remove burrs and superfluous material when it came to product finishing, or deburring and deflashing, while another used micro sandblasting. The manual procedure was slow and tedious, causing components to be destroyed, whilst abrasive sandblasting was damaging to some sensitive parts and produced secondary waste that had to be managed as poisonous compounds.
  
  

Alternative solution: using dry ice blaster to clean medical equipment during manufacturing

Manufacturers in each of the above cases replaced manual and abrasive cleaning methods with an alternate cleaning technology known as dry ice blasting. Precision cleaning use recycled CO2 dry ice pellets or pieces accelerated at supersonic speeds to precisely remove deposits from components and equipment. This technique assists medical device makers in improving quality, increasing productivity, extending equipment life, improving worker safety, lowering costs, and environmentally friendly

Recognizing the waste and inefficiency of the old standard cleaning technique, manufacturers have increasingly shifted to new cleaning method utilizing dry ice blasting machines.

Benefits of cleaning medical equipment with dry ice blaster

Scheduled cleanings are frequently pushed back in the manufacturing process of medical equipment in order to keep production going as smoothly as possible. Manufacturers will face both short-term and long-term consequences as a result of this. Machinery and equipment in the line that are not properly maintained will have an impact on production and product quality. On the other side, it might shorten the machine’s life or cause it to malfunction fast and necessitate continual repair. As a result, there is a lot of downtime and a delayed manufacturing schedule.

Knowing that producers want quick, accurate cleaning while minimizing equipment wear, the dry ice blasting machine was developed to satisfy all of those criteria. The following are some of the many benefits of using a dry ice blaster:

• Dry ice cleaning allows manufacturers to clean quicker and more frequently, allowing them to reliably create high-quality outcomes that extend the life of money-making equipment, decrease downtime, and promote profitable development.
• Non-abrasive to equipment: The dry ice machine is not only quick to clean, but it is also simple to use and does not cause abrasion to metal surfaces. As a result, the form or tightness of the equipment mold is maintained, and tool maintenance costs, scrap rate, and output quality are reduced.
• Save resources and effort: When compared to typical cleaning procedures, the dry ice blaster may dramatically reduce cleaning time. The reason for this is that there is no need to disassemble and reassemble cleaning equipment, as well as invest a lot of human resources on scrubbing and cleaning operations.
• There is no secondary waste since dry ice is expelled at supersonic speed while the unit is in use. When it comes into contact with the to-be-cleaned surface, it will sublimate, freeze the dirt, and shatter. As a result, there is no secondary waste, making it exceptionally environmentally friendly. Encourage medical device manufacturing employees to work in a safer and healthier environment.

How to use dry ice blaster to clean medical equipment during manufacturing

The dry ice blasting machine can efficiently clean medical equipment, even in the most difficult-to-reach and delicate areas such as electrical components,… The dry ice blaster is relatively simple to setup, with only two steps:

• Setup compress air source for dry ice blaster
• Fill the dry ice blaster with enough dry ice to blast on the sections of the medical equipment that need to be cleaned, including hard-to-reach spots.
• Soft dry ice is accelerated by compressed air through specially designed nozzles with supersonic speed and collides with the medical equipment’s surface, dislodging stubborn plaque and dirt on the device’s surface.

Dry ice blasters that can be used for cleaning medical equipment while in manufacturing process

I3 MicroClean

SPECCo2 i³ MicroClean is a compact, lightweight, single-hose low pressure, electric blasting system that utilizes dry ice block with low flow rates of 12 cfm and blocks of ice at variable air pressures from 20 to 140 psi (1.4 to 9.7 bar).

I3 MicroClean’s advantage

• Efficient Efficiently uses dry ice providing as much as 45 minutes of cleaning before reloading.
• Designed for Precision Applications Safely clean delicate surfaces and complex cavities.
• Flexibility Adjustable blast pressure allows for flexibility in order to optimize performance.
• Low Noise Operation The MicroClean requires less air pressure to operate effectively, resulting in a quieter operation.
  
  

I3 MicroClean’s features:

• Efficiently uses dry ice providing as much as 45 minutes of cleaning before reloading
• Single-hose, patented feeder design for maximum blasting aggression
• Uses 5″ x 5″ x 10″ (12.7 cm x 12.7 cm x 25.4 cm) or 6″ x 6″ x 12″ (15 cm x 15 cm x 30 cm) block dry ice
• Adjustable blast pressure allows for flexibility in order to optimize performance
• Internal blast air filter (20 Micron) minimizes the effects of contaminated air
• Ergonomic lighted applicator
• Durable Urebrade, or flexible silicone, hoses available
• Integrated static bonding cable (much more effective than standard grounding cables)
• Durable transport/mobility cart
  
  

SDI Select 60

SPECCo2’s SDI Select 60 is designed to be a simplistic, user-friendly, and versatile dry ice blaster. With the ability to shave any dry ice media input through the patented feeder technology, the SDI Select 60 opens new cleaning opportunities for users who experience limited dry ice availability.

The SDI Select 60 can use any Aero blasting machine nozzle or accessory to suit your application’s need, and can be as gentle or aggressive as necessary – with blasting pressures ranging from 20 to 250 PSI – covering a wide range of applications in a single machine.

SPECCo2’s patented feeder technology creates shaved dry ice on demand, regardless of input. Simply switch to full pellet cleaning to penetrate the most difficult, thick contaminants.

I3 MicroClean 2

I3 MicroClean 2 is a renovated and upgraded version of its predecessor – I3 MicroClean. This increases performance and reduces overall consumption usage by more than 25% as it:

• Uses dry ice blocks or ice pellets and can operate at speeds as slow as 12 cfm (0.3 m³/min) at variable air pressures from 20 to 145 psi (1.4 – 10 bar) .
• Offers an intuitive display with a 7-inch LCD screen and digital controls.
  

The benefits of the I3 MicroClean 2 dry ice machine:

• Ultra-efficient: I3 MicroClean 2 is designed to reduce overall consumptive usage by more than 25% compared to the previous i3 MicroClean.
• Easy control: You can adjust, save and access user-defined burst parameters for greater efficiency thanks to the 7″ LCD display.
• Less air pressure used resulted in less noise produced.
• IoT Capabilities: Remote monitoring with SPECCo2 CONNECT.
• Marvelous cleaning ability: Deep clean on all surfaces.
  

Conclusion

The process of cleaning medical equipment is an important job, helping to prevent the risk of spreading dangerous diseases as well as ensuring the equipment always works stably. For better cleaning, Specco2 recommend you to consider using a dry ice blasting machine for your work.

If there is a need for assistance, Specco2 is ready to assist you 24/7.