Medical Device Manufacturing: Designing for X-ray Inspection

When x-ray inspection is used as part of a quality assurance program for any assembled device, steps must be taken early in the design stage to anticipate the use of x-ray inspection later in the development and production processes. This is a lesson that electronic assembly manufacturers learned years ago, and that medical device manufacturers are also discovering. There are several steps involved in learning how to interpret x-ray images, and how to design for x-ray inspection. First, manufacturers need to understand the nature of the x-ray shadow and its modalities; then they need to see how medical device developers and manufacturers are using x-ray inspection; finally, they need to consider taking measures early in the design process to ensure a clear, accurate image when the assembled device undergoes x-ray inspection....