Power your medical film production process with knowledge!
The production of plastic film for medical applications is a highly specialized and regulated process. Unlike plastic film used for food or industrial applications, medical film thickness measurement and production must adhere to the stringent requirements of the healthcare industry in order to ensure patient and professional safety.
Medical plastic films are used for a variety of applications, including face shields, iv bags, medical pouches, films for die cutting and device packaging. Here are ten key medical film thickness measurement glossary terms, you need to know!
Certificate of Compliance (also known as C. of C.): This document is prepared by your quality control department and states that your finished product meets the highest standards for quality and uniformity- Die-Cutting: A production process for cutting sheet or roll materials into predetermined shapes. Rigid medical film is often used in the die-cutting process to create medical devices and products
- Gauge: The overall thickness of a sheet or film. The gauge of medical films can be extremely thin and unable to be assessed with the naked eye, making quality control throughout and at the completion of the production process complicated.
- Gauge Tolerance: This indicates the parameters of thickness held throughout the manufacturing process and includes and very small margin of error for film thickness such as, +/- 5%
- Heat Stabilization: This term applies primarily to polyester medical film and pertains to a controlled pre-shrinking process in which heat is applied. The heat creates a specified and dependable level of shrinkage to the film product.
- ISO: International Standards Organization that is known for developing the series of ISO 9000 standards that guide production, installation, quality assurance, inspection, testing and overall quality management.
- Lay-Flat: A part of the production process in which plastic film is literally laid flat. The lay-flat is a critical part of the process and if managed improperly can affect finished gauge.
- Non-Contact gauging: A type of thickness and basis weight gauge that uses dielectric principals to measure a finished or in-progress medical plastic film without touching the product. This provides an accurate gauge of entire product; while ensuring product is kept intact.
- Rigidity: The level of stiffness and stability a plastic film offers various thicknesses. Rigid medical plastic films are often used for die cutting of other medical-grade products.
- Tear Strength: This is the force required to begin or continue a tear in a finished film.
Learn More!
Want to learn more about medical film thickness measurement? Are you concerned about how your production and manufacturing facility is managing medical film thickness measurement? Call SolveTech, Inc, today! For over 30 years, we’ve been providing medical film manufacturers with the precise gauges they need to produce uniform and consistent products.
