September 12, 2012 -- California based Life Science specialist, Automation GT, has developed automated
machines to assist the manufacturing of products to treat prostate cancer. The machines,
operating at micro-level, were developed for a medical company that specializes in the
manufacture of products for cancer treatment. Automation GT designed automated systems
to inspect and measure radioactive seeds 500-600 microns in size and assemble them into
strands that were implanted at the site of cancerous cells.
With recent developments within the Life Sciences, such as the design of swimming
microrobots to carry drugs1, micro technology is becoming a requisite in order to
revolutionize the way patients are medicated. For this particular client, Automation GT
demonstrated a high degree of engineering precision to design two systems to safely handle
the radioactive beads; the Bead Inspection Machine and the Strand Assembly System.
The Bead Inspection Machine sorts the beads into six categories, five measured into
thresholds based on their diameter (from 500 to 520, 520 to 540, 540 to 560, 560 to 580, 580
to 600µm) and the final being Reject. A micro-needle, a long stainless steel tube of 0.032”
OD and 2.75” long is used to pick up and place each bead using a vacuum. To prevent
unwanted beads from sticking to the needle, a stripper plate with an opening large enough
for the diameter of the needle is used. The medical company would take these organized
beads, radiate them and then merge into a radioactive seed measuring in at 0.32” by 0.185”.
To reduce the risks of manual handling, the Strand Assembly System assembles the seeds,
sandwiches them between spacers and loads them into a Teflon Tube. This is picked up by
an arm and placed into a heating chamber where the seeds and spacers are fused together
and cooled to form a complete strand. Each strand is based on a recipe from a doctor and is
designed to a specification dependent upon the placement and size of cancerous cells
within a patient. The patient is treated ‘on the go’ and will receive a higher dose of radiation
to a smaller area than is possible with external radiation treatment.
With an ability to design at a small scale, Automation GT has contributed to the manufacture
of implants to treat prostate cancer. As demand for micro technology increases within the
Life Sciences, Automation GT is able to take increasingly complex problems and deliver
precision engineering solutions to match.
About Automation GT
Automation GT design and manufacture machines for applications that are mission-critical
and that require exceptional precision and reliability. They have developed a reputation for
perfection through design.
Their core competence is built around automation. Combined with focus on design
excellence, this has facilitated growth in some of the world’s most advanced industries.
Automation GT has long-standing relationships within industries such as the Life Sciences -
Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and Medical Devices.
Based in the innovation hub of Southern California, Automation GT reaches out globally.
Contact Automation GT:
1250 Pacific Oaks Place, #100
Escondido, CA. 92029 USA
Telephone: +1 (760) 741-7288
FAX: +1 (760) 741-7269
Website: www.automationgt.com
Twitter: @AutomationGT
Press contact and high resolution images: Will Selby, will@futurestech.com