Machine for Making Sheaths

摘要

A machine for making sheaths for use with medical and dental instruments includes a web attachment station for forming a multilayer material by arranging multiple webs of material with respect to one another. A configuration sealing station receives the multilayer material and seals at least two of the multiple webs of material to form a sealed multilayer material including a number of pockets corresponding to the shape of the medical or dental instrument. A material removal station receives the sealed multilayer material and removes an intermediate material, which may be disposed of and recycled at a recycling station.

主权项

1. A machine for making sheaths for use with a medical or dental instrument in a single pass through the machine, the machine comprising:
a web attachment station for forming a multilayer material by arranging multiple webs of material with respect to each other; a configuration sealing station receiving the multilayer material from the web attachment station and sealing at least two of the multiple webs of material with respect to each other at multiple locations to define a sealed multilayer material having multiple sealed pockets, each of the sealed pockets defining a sealed periphery corresponding to a shape of a medical or dental instrument; a first configuration die selectively arranged at the configuration sealing station for moving toward the multilayer material to create the sealed pockets and defining a first pattern that corresponds to a first pocket shape of a first set of sheaths made during a first session of the machine; a second configuration die selectively arranged at the configuration sealing station for moving toward the multilayer material to create the sealed pockets and defining a second pattern that corresponds to a second pocket shape of a second set of sheaths made during a second session of the machine; and a controller configured to control the configuration sealing station by adjusting at least one of a heat setting and an engagement time setting to a first setting value when the first configuration die is arranged at the configuration sealing station and to a second setting value when the second configuration die is arranged at the configuration sealing station.