In the medical device manufacturing industry, the production of disposable PVC, EVA or TPU bags requires the utmost precision and reliability to meet quality and safety standards. At ONEX RF, we lead the way with hybrid RF Generator technology, offering closed-loop process control to enhance the RF welding processes. Here's why our welders stand out in the IV, Blood Bag, Enteral Feeding, Collection Bags and Blood Pressure Cuff manufacturing industries.
1. Unmatched Repeatability in RF Sealing Process
Our RF welders deliver precise and uniform seals, ensuring the highest level of product integrity. Not only the quality depend on the RF sealing die but also how even the RF energy is distributed on the sealing surface, using a unique design of the RF feed lines on the upper platen. The use of a hybrid RF generator further improves process consistency, which guarantees consistent RF power and eliminates RF welding process variations, resulting in airtight and leak-proof seals that are critical for the bags used in medical environments.
2. No Die Damage due to Arcs
One of the standout features of ONEX RF welders is the fast arc detection and shut-down technology. The arc detection occurs so quickly that even the PLC can not catch the signal within one scan time (milliseconds). Arcs can occur due to dirt on the material, missing material layers or sharp die corners. In many cases, customers add layers of buffer material to increase voltage breakdown resistance to control the arc but when it occurs they are forced to replace or repair the die causing a costly downtime. On ONEX machines, all you need to do is clean the die and replace a buffer material to continue production. This feature significantly reduces production downtime and repair or replacement costs.
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3. Hybrid RF Generator for Process Excellence
ONEX RF is a vertically integrated company where they design and build all the automated RF Heat sealing machines, electronic controls and Hybrid Generator technology. Why they call it hybrid is because it uses a combination of a 500-watt solid-state RF generator and a Vacuum Tube (Triode) to amplify the RF signal 20 times. The controls are simple and only require 0-10VDC signal from the PLC to output 10KW power. When validating the RF welders, the process parameters are set on a PC-HMI including the Min and Max process limits. The RF Sealing power is monitored and controlled using an RF power feedback sensor, which ensures stable sealing power. This type of process control provides manufacturers consistency in sealing quality.
4. Increased Power Efficiency
The ONEX Hybrid Generators operate on a fixed 27.12MHz frequency. It uses special tuning capacitors to tune the required output power with minimum current use and increase generator power efficiency. When sealing medical bags the process impedance changes as the product melts causing high reflected power, which is dynamically tuned using an automatic matching network. When comparing ONEX sealing process with oscillator tube technology, ONEX process can save up to 20% of the lost energy by automatically reducing the reflected power. This energy efficiency also helps maintain the tube life by reducing the chance of residual heat caused by the reflected energy.
5. Enhanced Material Compatibility
Our RF welders are designed to handle a wide range of materials and tolerances. In the medical device manufacturing industry, some of the commonly used materials such as PVC materials use 10-20% less energy compared with EVA and TPU materials respectively. Many of our customers who use older oscillator tube technology RF Sealers constantly have to make adjustments, on the buffers, sealing power, or time to prevent burns arcs or premature sealed bags. whereas ONEX RF welders, can use precise power control and automatically tune the process not requiring any tweaking of the process parameters or setup that would be required otherwise if material thickness varies a few thousand. ONEX RF Welder has proven to save a lot of time in setup and trial errors.
6. Cost-Effective Durability
Durability is a hallmark of ONEX RF welders. Designed and Built on a single frame to withstand the demands of high-volume manufacturing, these machines never require leveling or alignment every time you bump or move the machine, offering reduced downtime and maintenance costs. Over time, this translates into significant cost savings and maximized return on investment.
7. Exceptional Support and Training
ONEX RF offers enhanced 2-days RF Welding training at ONEX and at the customer site. The training covers, RF Technology, generator construction, RF welding principles, die-making practices, and process development. With ONEX support your engineering and maintenance team will understand how to maintain and fully utilize the capabilities of our machines. From setup to troubleshooting, we are committed to helping customers with RF welding machines and optimizing their medical device manufacturing operations.
Conclusion
ONEX RF welders bring a new approach and consistency to setting up and validating the next-generation RF welding process. You can collect all kinds of data on every seal cycle and be able to further optimize your medical device RF welding process meeting the latest Industry 4.0 requirements. Features like no-arc technology and a hybrid generator ensure enhanced performance, process consistency and energy savings. For manufacturers seeking to elevate their production processes, our welders are an ideal choice.
Contact us today to learn how our innovative welding solutions can transform your manufacturing line.
