Improving water-based graphite colloidal system for a pressure-sensing fabric application

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Vista medical has been producing pressure-sensing fabric for use in medical devices and consumer products since 1992. The technology consists of a conductive fabric substrate to which a carbon colloidal system is applied. The coated fabric is then dried and further processed. The finished product is a fabric system that can convert pressure applied to it to an electrical signal, which upon processing can provide a pressure map. Vista Medical product is used in medical devices and consumer products.Currently, Vista Medical purchases both components needed to manufacture their product, namely the conductive fabric and the graphite colloid, from external sources. The manufacturing process at Vista Medical consists of applying the graphite colloid to the fabric, drying the coated fabric and converting it to the finished product as per customer specifications. Quality control for the product consists of verification of pressure readings and other fit-for-use tests.As evident from the above, the performance of Vista Medical products depends on the quality and consistency of the components purchased. For sometimes, it has been noticed that inconsistencies in characteristics of the purchased graphite colloid adversely affect the quality of the finished product. Test results and specifications in the Certificate of Analysis provided by the supplier of the colloidal graphite are also too broad to ensure product quality. This has resulted into loss of productivity and potential product quality issues. In order to overcome this challenge, Vista Medical has been looking into in-house manufacturing of the graphite colloid.