A method for producing sterile solution product bags includes positioning a manifold assembly onto a filling machine. The manifold assembly includes a plurality of bags, a first filter, and a connection line in fluid communication with the first filter. Each of the plurality of bags includes a bladder and a stem in fluid communication with the bladder and with the connection line. The method includes activating a pump and at least partially filling one or more of the bladders by pumping fluid through the feed line, the first filter, and the connection line. The method includes sealing the stem of each of the filled product bags at a location between the connection line and the bladder, thereby creating one or more at least partially filled and sealed product bags. The method includes separating each of the at least partially filled and sealed product bags from the connection line.

Provided is a tube joining apparatus that allows a user to easily and properly set tubes to be joined, and can prevent occurrence of joining failures due to tube setting errors. A tube joining apparatus 1 includes a housing 10, a lid 22 relatively movable toward and away from the housing, a tube holding part 23 that holds a first tube T1 and a second tube T2 individually in a state of being placed side by side in an oblique direction D1 with respect to a height direction Z of the housing, and a tube pressing part 25 that presses the first tube and the second tube against each other as the lid relatively moves toward the housing.

A device for welding thermoplastic tubes to a welding method, and to a welding knife. The device is provided for welding thermoplastic tubes, wherein the tubes are placed into tube holders and squeezed with the aid of tube clamps. A welding knife is moved between the first and the second tube holder and severs the tubes in the process. Cut ends and residual ends are thereby produced. The cut ends are aligned with one another by a relative movement of one tube holder with respect to the other tube holder and, by a horizontal movement of the two tube holders, are welded simultaneously to form continuous tubes.

Systems and methods are disclosed that include an operation chamber, a plasma generator having at least one plasma head disposed within the operation chamber and in proximity to a profile formed by cutting a piece of tubing, and a mechanical motion module. The plasma generator generates a plasma treatment and applies the plasma treatment via the at least one plasma head to the profile to activate material on an end surface of the profile, within a lumen of the profile, or a combination thereof. Once the material of the profile is activated by the plasma treatment, the mechanical motion module manipulates the profile to close the lumen of the profile to aseptically seal the profile.

Systems and methods are disclosed that include generating a plasma treatment and applying the plasma treatment to end contact surfaces of a first profile and a second profile in a sterile environment, manipulating at least one of the first profile and the second profile to force contact between the end contact surface of the first profile and the end contact surface of the second profile to permanently connect, join, or weld the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile together, thereby forming a sterile connection between the first profile and a second profile.

Method and apparatus are disclosed for mechanically opening a heat-bonded connection site between two hollow, flexible, thermoplastic segments of a medical fluid flow path, the heat-bonded connection site having an axis. The connection site is compressed between two facing surfaces, and the facing surfaces are relatively moved to rotate the connection site about the connection site axis and to apply force to the connection site substantially perpendicular to the connection site axis.

A sealing device configured to create a frangible seal in a sample processing device is described. Methods of using the device to create one or more frangible seals in a sample processing device are also described.

Method and apparatus are disclosed for mechanically opening a heat-bonded connection site between two hollow, flexible, thermoplastic segments of a medical fluid flow path, the heat-bonded connection site having an axis. The connection site is compressed between two facing surfaces, and the facing surfaces are relatively moved to rotate the connection site about the connection site axis and to apply force to the connection site substantially perpendicular to the connection site axis.

A method for producing sterile solution product bags includes positioning a manifold assembly onto a filling machine. The manifold assembly includes a plurality of bags, a first filter, and a connection line in fluid communication with the first filter. Each of the plurality of bags includes a bladder and a stem in fluid communication with the bladder and with the connection line. The method includes activating a pump and at least partially filling one or more of the bladders by pumping fluid through the feed line, the first filter, and the connection line. The method includes sealing the stem of each of the filled product bags at a location between the connection line and the bladder, thereby creating one or more at least partially filled and sealed product bags. The method includes separating each of the at least partially filled and sealed product bags from the connection line.

Welding apparatus (10; 30) having a safety feature comprising: two electrodes (11, 12; 21, 22), whereof at least one of said two electrodes is movably arranged in relation to the other electrode. The electrodes are in non-contact with each other and define a gap (13) in which an object (14) provided with an electrically non-conductive surface to be sealed may be inserted. The welding apparatus comprises an actuator (15; 25) configured to move at least one electrode when activated to squeeze the object, a detector (16; 26) configured to determine a clamping force when the inserted object (14) is squeezed between the electrodes, a distance sensor (17; 23) configured to measure the distance between the electrodes. There is also a conductance sensor (24) configured to measure the conductivity of an object located between the electrodes (11, 12; 21,22) when the object (14) is squeezed, and optionally a position sensor (19b) configured to detect the position of the object (14) inserted between the electrodes. The welding apparatus further comprises a processor configured to process the input from at least one of the detector (16; 26), the distance sensor (17; 23) and the conductance sensor (24) to provide an output that indicates if there is a blood bag tube inserted between electrodes, or if it is a foreign object.