Our Partner, is an American Manufacturer of neurodiagnostic accessories and components, innovating the way in the development of Electromyography (EMG) electrodes for nerve activity testing. They got in touch with Laser Wire Solutions when they needed to efficiency and effectively remove the insulation from a Stabilohm Nickel Alloy Wire used within their Medical Electrodes.
The Challenge
As a leading and highly respected medical device manufacturer due to their high quality and certified products, our partner reached out to Laser Wire Solutions in the knowledge that our laser wire ablation service have quality at the forefront of their focus.
Our partner required Stabilohm Nickel alloy wire to be laser processed to produce 5” (12.7cm) lengths of wire with 2mm of insulation removed on one end and 6mm of insulation removed on the other. The wire would be supplied by our partner on a spool containing 10,000 feet, however Laser Wire Solutions could have also supplied the wire directly if preferred, to potentially save time and reduce costs to our partner.
With the knowledge the Laser Wire Solutions, an ISO 9001:2015 certified business could meet their quality driven needs, our partner worked closely with our laser wire ablation service applications team to find the optimum quality, whilst our experienced team provided the processes needed to ensure high productivity and quick turnaround required.
What We Did
To achieve the high-quality result required by our partner, we used our purpose-built in-house laser ablation testing machines, to research the best way to process the wire to meet our partners needs. Due to the complexity and fragile nature of the wire, our team of experienced engineers researched the best approach, whilst understanding the integrity and quality of the ablated wire being supplied was paramount.
Our team calibrated our custom solution to ablate an 8mm portion of wire, as well as using the same laser to create a fine “nick” into the exposed area at 2mm from one end. The “nick” is to aid breaking of the wire to allow a 2mm strip on one end and a 6mm strip on the other as per our partners specification. The wire is then moved 5” and the 8mm ablation process is repeated throughout the spool.
Our partners specifications were to have the wire processed from reel-to-cut, however Laser Wire Solutions could also offer this solution as a reel-to-reel process also, providing the same high degree of quality and accuracy.
When the wires are broken the end result is a 5” long piece of wire with a 2mm ablation on one end and a 6mm on the other.
Our partner, happy with the solution we provided and the results acquired from our research testing, required a high-volume order to be completed with a quick turnaround.
Our Solution
Using our in-house reel-to-reel laser stripping machine, our trained team of experts set up the machine to automatically ablate the wire, add a “nick” to it at the desired position, and advance the wire by 5” to repeat the process. When the cycle had completed, the end result is a spool of processed wire that can be separated to form the individual pieces as required by our partner. Our team in this instance separated the individual pieces and delivered the wires in a short turnaround time.
The Result
Proximal end of wire showing the 6 mm ablation area after separation.
We think the results speak for themselves, as you can see from the end-result: a clean and accurate laser ablation of Stabilohm Nickel wire, quality checked, with a certificate of conformance, packaged and delivered ahead of schedule, ready to support our partners and their patients needs.
Our Partner were certainly pleased too, with the following feedback:
“Production went well and we were very pleased with the quality.”
