Heating Surgical Tools for Coating Burn Off

Heating Surgical Tools for Coating Burn Off

Objective: To heat surgical tools to burn-off the nylon coating; the client had been using a torch for this application.

Equipment: Ambrell EASYHEAT® 1.2 kW, 150-400 kHz induction heating power supply with a workhead and coil specifically designed for this application.

Frequency: 251 kHz

Material: Magnetic steel surgical tools

Testing:

• A custom-designed single position multiple-turn pancake coil was built to generate the required heating for this coating burn-off application. Initial tests were conducted to optimize the power delivered to the part. A half-inch ceramic spacer was used to lay the part over the coil. Within seconds of the power being turned on, the coating on the tool began to smoke and soon started to bubble. It took approximately five minutes to remove the entire coating from the surgical tool.

Benefits:

• Speed: Induction met the client’s time objective for coating burn off.
• Repeatability: The client can expect the same result in the same amount of time every single time, whereas a torch is dependent on operator skill.
• Safety: With induction, there is no open flame, making for a safer work environment.