STAINLESS STEEL TFD2-52 CLASS A WALK-IN OVEN FOR CURING CATHETERS

A medical device manufacturer needed a large clean process oven for curing catheters. Despatch modified a standard TFD2-52 walk-in oven with a stainless-steel interior and exterior to meet the customer's needs.

Catheters are widely used medical devices. There are several types including urinary catheters, peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC), implantable ports, and central venous catheters. Despatch ovens are used for curing and drying of coatings and linings that protect against urinary tract infection or increase lubricity to ease the discomfort of insertion. Catheters also require thermal curing for adhesive bonding of the ports and attachments. Annealing is used to provide variations in flexibility and hardness of the catheter tube to suit specific applications.

Despatch understands the unique configuration requirements needed for efficient thermal processing of catheters. We have designed tall batch ovens that allow for hanging long catheter tubes in the oven. Batch ovens with an array of narrow slots have been provided as a solution for applications where only one end of the catheter needs curing. Where higher volume or automation is desired, this design can be leveraged into a clam-shell configuration that allows for continuous thermal processing of just the distal end of the catheter for a specified dwell time.