Machine Dispenses Silicone for Medical Device Assembly Application

Urogyn BV uses the Doso-Med machine to fill 10,000 double syringes a year. *Photo courtesy Hilger u. Kern-Dopag Group*

With youth comes enthusiasm and originality. Managers at the four-year-old medical products manufacturer Urogyn BV wholeheartedly agree with, and applaud, this statement.

Located in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, Urogyn develops new products for urology and gynecology based on two-component silicone polymer technology. The company is strategically located near the Technical University of Twente and Eindhoven, and the Radboud University and hospital.

One Urogyn product features 5-milliliter-capacity double syringes that must be filled with two-component liquid silicone. The company currently fills 10,000 syringes a year, but hopes to fill 100,000 annually within a few years.

The application takes place under clean room conditions. Syringe filling is done by a benchtop Doso-Med machine made by Hilger u. Kern—Dopag Group. Urogyn’s syringe supplier recommended the machine.

Syringe filling is a four-step process. First, the operator places an empty syringe into an adaptor on a 180-degree rotary table. Second, the table rotates and presents the syringe beneath the dispensing head, which automatically evacuates air from the syringe. Third, the syringe is filled within 30 seconds or so. Finally, the table is rotated, and the operator removes the filled syringe.

“The two components of the clear silicone are accurately metered at a ratio of 1-to-1 and dispensed separately into the double syringe,” explains Ruben van der Vleuten, development manager for Urogyn. “Prior to syringe removal, any and all possible contamination is extracted, so the syringe is removed in a clean condition.”

The machine fills double syringes with low-viscosity media having a ratio range between 1-to-1 and 10-to-1 by volume. Materials containers hold up to 6 liters and can be placed directly into the pressure vessels, which then feed material to the dispensing head.

The machine handles four sizes of syringes (1, 2.5, 5 and 10 milliliters) and material with a viscosity up to 1,000 millipascals per second. Flow rate is 0.5 to 11 milliliters, depending on syringe type. Maximum air inlet pressure is 6 bar.

The machine offers exact repeatability during filling, as well as simple cleaning and disassembly for sterilization. PLC-controlled, the system can be easily integrated into a semi- or fully automated production line.

For more information on metering systems for medical media, call 513-881-6370 or visit www.dopag.com.

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