IV Catheters – Medical Device Application
Automationspartner has over 25 years of experience in fully automated solutions within the medical industry, and we have delivered more than 300 machines to customers all over the world. With our accumulated experience we know what it takes to build profitable iv-catheter assembly lines and continuously deliver world-class medical equipment.
Fully automatic IV catheter production
We manufacture fully automatic IV catheter production lines, tip forming and IV catheter assembly machines. These machines can be equipped to produce fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and/or polyurethane (PUR) catheters.
- Category: IV Catheter
- Capacity: 60 parts/min
- Types of IV Catheters: Ported, Non-Ported and Y-style
- Tube materials: FEP and/or PUR
We offer development services and standard machine solutions in these areas:
- Tip-forming methodology
- Design services – catheter tip
- Semi-automated production systems
- Fully-automated production systems
Tip-forming methodology
Fast and high quality
The most important component in tip-forming is the rapid and precise temperature control in the AP RF power generator. The generator uses electromagnetic induction to reach the temperature in only 0.4 seconds, and the total cycle is completed in 3 seconds. This technology makes our tip-forming machines compact and high capacity.
Low maintenance costs
Automationspartner’s tip-forming machines use a pure thermoforming process. The molding method is very gentle with the tip tool, compared to the common cut-off method, which is a combined thermoforming and mechanical forming process where the tip mandrel cuts and twists the catheter. When using our molding method, the wearing and costs are very low.
Design services – Catheter Tip
Tip design services
The catheter tip design and quality are two of the most important factors in superior IV access. Automationspartner offers tip design services which include design, prototyping, testing and documentation.
Penetration forces and risk of peel back
Our tip geometry evaluation is based on results from penetration and peel-back testing. The tip design is optimized based on these two results.
Automationspartner tip design services include
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| Tip geometry design in cooperation with customer | Prototyping in AP Tip Laboratory | Penetration and peel-back testing | Report with conclusions and recommendations |
Semi-automated production systems for IV catheters
Automationspartner offers a wide range of tip-forming machines within the IV catheter segment. The mid-range tip-forming machines are based on a modular platform that can be customized by the customer depending on their unique situation.
Mid-range tip-formers
The mid-range tip-formers consist of 2 levels of equipment with different features to suit your customers’ unique situations.
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| IV Advantage (Semi-automatic) | IV Excellence (Fully automatic) |
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| Precision cutting & lubrication | Precision cutting & lubrication |
| Tip-forming in FEP (Molding method) | Tip-forming in PUR & FEP (Molding method) |
| Manually in and outload by operator | Automatic in and out load from palette system |
| Camera inspection & HMI Basic system | Camera inspection & HMI Advanced system |
| Staffing: 1 person/shift | Staffing: 0.2 person/shift |
| Capacity: 20–25 ppm | Capacity: 24–27 ppm |
 IV Excellence features a high-resolution vision inspection system for easily examination of tip forming results. |
Fully automated production systems for IV catheters
Automationspartner (AP) offers a wide range of production equipment within the IV Catheter program. AP IV Catheter full production line is the most advanced offer in the program with high capacity and world class catheter performance.
Full-range production lines
AP Full-range production lines offer IV catheter sizes from 26 G up to 18 G with traditional Y-adapters and straight adapters. The line can run both FEP and/or PUR and can also be adapted for needle-free versions of IV catheters. The production lines are upgradable to most of the common needle tip protected versions (safety).
Our Solution: High runner or Flexible setup
The IV catheter production line contains five different sections that are individually separated by connection trough buffering systems. The lines are available in a high-runner setup and a flexible setup when many gauge sizes should be run in the same assembly line. Each section can be bought separately for customers that scale-up their production step-by-step.
High Runner Setup
Flexible Setup
