Abstract:
With the need to manufacture more gastroscopes in the future, Instrument Technology Inc. (ITI) desires a new method of heating gastroscope shrink tubes at a faster rate that can scale production. Current technology provides little engineering where an uncontrolled heat gun is used to apply forced convection to the shrink tube which does not apply uniform heat when a gastroscope probe is passed through it. Our team’s task was to create a scalable heating device capable of applying uniform heat to the shrink tube by establishing controls to ensure the temperature can be constantly maintained so the shrink is applied tightly. Our team performed analysis to choose an appropriate heating element, power source, controller, and insulated casing to meet the requirements of our sponsor.