The medical industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today, with the U.S reaching a market cap of $156 billion. The medical device sector is critical: Many patients rely on these potentially life-saving/sustaining machines to go about their daily lives, and a defective device can cause serious injury or even death. Ensuring the quality and integrity of these devices is of the utmost importance; each device must be built to meet those standards and requires the best quality inspection techniques. Computed tomography (CT) is one of these techniques. Computed tomography, a nondestructive technique that uses X-ray, provides reliable inspection that delivers confidence to the clinicians and patients. Here are four reasons why CT is the best form of inspection for your device.
Advancements in the medical technology and material science in recent years has allowed for ever increasingly small (less invasive), more complex, and multifunctional medical devices to be made. Manufacturers must adhere to very tight tolerances, with some tubing that requires diameters as small as .005 inches with a ±.0005 tolerance. Devices such as microcatheters, ideal for therapeutic neuroradiology or occlusive therapies have interior diameters as small as .014 with wall thicknesses being .005 inches. Medical devices are increasingly growing smaller and smaller, which will need even more sophisticated levels of inspection like computed tomography.