Medical Equipment Designer articles from January 2001

Medical Equipment Designer archives from January 2001

A Damn Good Time.
January 1, 2001... This past weekend a friend of mine taped a Neil Young special from a PBS station. Watching the show made me think about other parts of my life where I find enjoyment. (I often seek connections between everything, so this is a simple leap for...

Deep-Focused Heat Kills Tumors, Leaves Surrounding Healthy Tissue Unscathed.
January 1, 2001... Minimally-invasive procedure may represent breakthrough cancer technology Celsion Corp. (formerly Cheung Laboratories), Columbia, Maryland, develops medical treatment systems primarily to treat cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)...

Dean Kamen Wins National Medal of Technology.
January 1, 2001... FIRST robotics programs help kids better realize their potential The 2000 National Medal of Technology was awarded last month to Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), Manchester, NH, a...

Super-Thin Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor.
January 1, 2001... Is Quiet, Powerful, Precise The 44mm permanent magnet stepper motor, series 44M100D, is specifically designed for limited space applications. Designed by engineers at Thomson Airpax Mechatronics, Cheshire, CT, the lightweight 2.2 oz. motor...

Lightweight compact pushbutton switch.
January 1, 2001... The SW43728 illuminated momentary switch weighs less than 2oz with an overall length of 1.77 in., making it suitable for medical applications, such as external defribrillator control panels where weight and size are important requirements....

Metric bearing and shaft assemblies.
January 1, 2001... Instrument Ball Bushing bearings feature a ball recirculation path that provides smooth anti-friction operation ideal for medical equipment applications. Matched sets of bearing/shaft fit-up guarantees 0.0025 to 0.0075mm clearance. Stainless...

Stepper motors.
January 1, 2001... PF468 series NEMA size 23 high-torque motors allow increased load size and improved thruput in a compact frame size. With a detent torque of 500g-cm and holding torque of 8.5 or 9 kg-cm, these 1-4 amp motors are easy to integrate into existing...

Thick film resistor networks.
January 1, 2001... Established Reliability surface-mount chip networks are designed for use in mission critical applications such as life support systems and human-implantable medical devices. They have 800 mW or 1W power ratings and are available with standard...

LCD Avoids Vanishing Act.
January 1, 2001... While liquid crystal displays are ubiquitous in dozens of commercial and industrial products, they have long been plagued with a limitation: If not viewed within a minimal angle from perpendicular to the screen, the image suffers a sharp...

Wavegen.
January 1, 2001... Based on research and development that spans several decades, the first commercial power generation plant to harvest the energy of ocean waves is being setup on the island of Islay in Scotland. Designed and built by Wavegen, Inverness, with...

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
January 1, 2001... The character on the left of the photo is not a holdover prop from the "Buck Rogers" TV series. ASIMO is the latest development from 14 years of robotic design at Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. This version moves using Honda's i-WALK...

Miniature base LED lamps.
January 1, 2001... Optical-grade epoxy produces bright and evenly-dispersed illumination. Solid-state construction makes them ideal for applications subjected to vibration, shock and environmental stresses, which reduce the life of incandescent lamps. LEDs...

Blue LED pushbutton switches.
January 1, 2001... A brilliant full-face blue LED expands the spectrum for all pushbutton switches, including series HB, KB, LB, UB and YB. Products range from subminiature to standard size switches, allowing multiple design variations.

Dual lamp CCFL drivers.
January 1, 2001... Two models of compact DC-to-AC inverters for cold-cathode fluorescent lamps provide a economical single transformer to drive dual lamps with an ultrawide dimming range of 100-10%, either normat or inverted polarity.

Bright, outdoor LEDs.
January 1, 2001... SuperBright AllnGaP LED lamps yield superior clarity, efficiency, and a choice of wide or narrow view angles, making them ideal for demanding outdoor applications such as traffic signals and moving signs. Colors include several hues of orange,...

Subminiature lamps.
January 1, 2001... Incandescent lamps from 1.25 to 28 volts provide white light output up to 1.2 MSCP and up to 100,000 hours of life. A variety of standard or custom mounting options meets challenging design requirements.

Surface mount technology LEDs.
January 1, 2001... Platypus LEDs' "duck feet" electrical contacts to make them surface mountable allowing designers to incorporate LEDs directly onto a circuit board without the short body profile and wide angle of light emission of radial-leaded LEDs.

MicroLens LCDs.
January 1, 2001... This technology incorporates hundreds of thousands of miniature reflective surfaces in each LCD backlight. All variables of these surfaces are precisely controlled to very tight tolerances to extract light uniformly, consistently, and more...

Seal Materials for Abrasive Slurries.
January 1, 2001... Corrosion-resistant tungsten carbide seal rings available for submersible pumps Operators of submersible pumps are demanding increased reliability while requiring their pumps to work under harsher conditions. The seal material is of...

The auto industry prepares for a major overhaul of its electrical system.
January 1, 2001... In the mid-1950s, roughly halfway through the First Century of the Automobile Era, American automakers ended production of vehicles with 6 volt electrical systems and re-started their lines with 12 volt-based designs. Now, the industry is...

Resettable Protection for Actuators and Small Motors.
January 1, 2001... PPTC devices improve reliability and reduce cost in automotive circuit designs. High currents resulting From motor stalls of actuators controlling automotive windows, sunroofs, mirrors and seat position may be two to four times as high as...

Easy solutions for hard-to-bond plastics.
January 1, 2001... Bonding low surface energy (LSE) plastics such as polypropylene or other thermoplastic olefins with conventional tapes and adhesives typically requires the surfaces to be primed, flame treated or corona treated. These new adhesives and tapes...

Custom HVAC orifice plug rivets.
January 1, 2001... The button head is 0.087-in. with interior dimensions of 0.1 10-in. dia by 0 250-in. deep, and the outside dimensions of 0.169-in. dia. by 0.315 in., with a 2.5 degree taper for easy insertion into a gas jet orifice.

Flush-head studs.
January 1, 2001... PEM Type FHL selfclinching studs are designed with smaller-diameter heads, enabling closer-to-edge attachment. The studs can be mounted permanently in aluminum or thin steel sheets, and provide strong threads in sheets too thin to tap. Thread...

High temperature sealant.
January 1, 2001... Pyro-Putty 2500 withstands operating temperatures to 1600[degrees]F, making it ideal for brake pads. It sets at room temperature with little shrinkage, good mechanical, strength, and resistance to thermal shock and chemical corrosion.

Self-tapping spacers.
January 1, 2001... CRS Spacers eliminate noise and movement in high vibration telecommunications and industrial network applications. The co-extruded screw spacers feature a soft pliable inner lining with a hard outer shell, allowing tight custom insertion.

Blind rivet nuts.
January 1, 2001... SpinTite aluminum, brass, steel and stainless steel threaded nuts can be installed from the accessible, front side of a workpiece in panels as thin as 0.020 in./0.51 mm. They require only a mating screw to complete assembly.

Socket head cap screws.
January 1, 2001... Hex recess screws, designed for use in commercial and military aircraft, jet and gas turbine engines, are manufactured to meet the procurement specification FF-S-86 for MS and NAS socket head cap screws, and conform to the ASME B 18.3...

Custom washers, spacers and special shapes.
January 1, 2001... Non-metallic materials include polyolefins, acetyl, PVC, flyoroplastics, vulcanized fiber, phenolics, Nylon, ABS, polyester and polycarbonate, with over 16,000 sizes of washers and spacers.

UV/visible light curing adhesives.
January 1, 2001... Optical grade USP Class VI biocompatible adhesive offers the strength of epoxy with the speed of UV for applications in medical devices. The 140 series medical optic adhesives cure instantly and completely upon exposure to UV light, producing...

Shoulder and captive panel screws.
January 1, 2001... Precision shoulder screws provide close tolerance spacing and bearing surfaces. Captive panel screws installed in equipment ensure stalled in panels mounting hardware isn't lost. Available in a variety of sizes, materials and finishes.

Cable management.
January 1, 2001... The Rox Gland M63 combines the convenience of the traditional gland technique with the system's adaptable MultiDiameter technology. It is able to route preterminated cable through the gland without removing their connectors.

Colored anti-static cello tapes.
January 1, 2001... These cellophane tapes are coated with a non-staining natural rubber adhesive system, are 1.8 mil thick, and have tensile strength of 24 lbs/in. The tapes are good for splicing, mending, color coding, edge taping and, reinforcing.

Color-coded wire nut connectors.
January 1, 2001... These wire nuts feature a durable polypropylene shell with a no-slip spring insert that threads the wires after they are inserted, creating a secure connection. Color-coded by wire size for easy identification, the nuts require no pre-twisting...

Miniature selflocking fasteners.
January 1, 2001... Blue Nylon self-locking patches permanently spray bonded on the mating threads of fasteners makes them reliable and vibration-resistant for the needs of the information appliance industry.

Primerless threadlocker.
January 1, 2001... Loctite 2440 surface-insensitive liquid threadlocker is formulated to fix rapidly without the use of primers on oily surfaces and inactive or plated substrates, like stainless steel, zinc and zinc phosphate. The medium-strength adhesive is...

Acrylic adhesive transfer film.
January 1, 2001... An unsupported pressure-sensitive film, Unifilm is good for general purpose bonding and mounting applications, and engineered to die cut easily and conform to intricate contours. The films adhere various materials.

I've Got My Eye on You.
January 1, 2001... CCTV systems vibration-stopping isolators enhance image and lessen noise While designing an intelligent closed circuit television system comprised of a miniature dome camera, a motorized drive unit and advanced computerized controls,...

Rotary actuator.
January 1, 2001... With closed loop position feedback, this actuator offers precise control of rotary motion in applications such as gate valves and fly-by-wire steering systems as well as articulation control in large vehicles. Its high frequency response...

Industrial hose pumps.
January 1, 2001... The seal-less Verderflex pump has no flaps or valves. With a capacity between 0.1 and 250 gpm, and pressure up to 230 psig, the suction lift is up to 30 feet. The closed-coupled pump has easy maintenance.

Ball valve system.
January 1, 2001... The Type 265X system is designed to offer a variety of customized temperature, pressure. level and flow control solutions. These valves feature high reliability, as well as low installation and operating costs for both on/off and...

Push-in fitting check valves.
January 1, 2001... NSF-approved ABS check valves with stainless steel ball-and-spring mounted internally into the push-in fittings, have flow and check in either direction. Fittings are available in numerous configurations.

Miniature air cylinders.
January 1, 2001... Short stroke pneumatic cylinders, with pistons keyed against rotation for applications requiring controlled angular orientation of the translating motion operate on plant air in single acting, spring return mode.

Pressure regulating valves.
January 1, 2001... The Hydra-Cell valves have flow-through design for reduced wear on internal parts. They may be used with any positive displacement pump. These valves bypass system fluid to prevent excess system pressure for multiple-gun operations.

Customization process.
January 1, 2001... The Quick-Change Customization process adapts the technology and performance of standard, off-the-shelf miniature valves into customized solutions that meet specific design, performance, and application objectives. This fast track, low-budget...

Double solenoid proportional valve.
January 1, 2001... The economical DSP valve is designed for precision applications requiring flow-rates up to 800 gpm. Using OBE to monitor spool position, this valve does not sacrifice safety for high dynamics.

Luer check valves.
January 1, 2001... This Quick-Stop valve allows solvent change in an HPLC system, while preventing dangerous spills, and provides a means for introducing samples into FIA and other low-pressure systems. The check valve allows flow in either direction.

Low-flow valve.
January 1, 2001... The VSOLF is an addition to the current line of VSO valves offering enhanced flow control for those low-flow applications where controllability is critical or expected below 600 seem. The VSO is a miniature solenoid-operated proportional valve...

Pump series.
January 1, 2001... The SV500 self-priming, solenoid-operated pumps, used in a range of industrial liquid dispensing and metering applications, can operate through several million cycles without maintenance. They can handle corrosive fluids.

Normally-closed poppet valves.
January 1, 2001... Direct pilot-operated valves are used where quick, positive control is required from a low pilot signal. A large resilient poppet provides bubble-tight closure, fo use in various pressure applications with highly corrosive or ultra-pure liquid...

Temperature regulator.
January 1, 2001... RT-1001-P,Q,R,S Quick Ship self-actuated cost-effective valves feature standard over-temperature protection, chevron lifetime stem-packing made of Teflon, and two-ply bellows for long life and close control. The regulator has a setpoint...

Proportional valve controller/amplifier.
January 1, 2001... An economy version of the 0-5 VDC proportional controller/amplifier supplies solenoid proportional to an input control, This design features an adjustable current range.

Low flow range pumps.
January 1, 2001... Contamination-free peristaltic pumps can handle products ranging from aggressive chemicals to shear sensitive, sterile biologicals. They are also self-priming, dry-running, reversible, customizable and do not require valves.

Coaxial valve.
January 1, 2001... A range of small-orifice, direct-acting solenoid valves is designed for use with gaseous, liquid or neutral media at pressures between 0 and 500 bar. The A45 valves are constructed of stainless steel and are available with orifices of 2, 4 and...

Pressure pump de-ices aircraft.
January 1, 2001... * Getting an aircraft to operating height and speed in temperatures as low as -50[degrees]C at 10,000 meters, even in summer, creates serious icing conditions on the wings. The defreezing liquid, either heavy viscosity glycol or lighter glycol...

Foreign Web Sites and Gateways.
January 1, 2001... As we enter the real 21st century, it's time once again to take a look at what's ahead. In years gone by, Bird-Doggin' has focused largely on hard resource sites for design engineers. With the broadening of interest in all things Web, and the...

Heat-resistant tubing.
January 1, 2001... Automotive OEMs are coping with rising under-the-hood temperatures with helically convoluted Teflon PFA tubing to shield wiring from heat. With high-efficiency engines running hotter and crowded underhood space reducing air flow for cooling, it...

Low-warp alternative to amorphous resins.
January 1, 2001... Kelon B FR H CET/30-VO is a 30% mineral-filled nylon with a rare combination of low warp, good rigidity, chemical resistance and flame retardance, making it ideal for E/E applications. It shrinks uniformly in both directions. and processes at...

Thermally conductive polymer.
January 1, 2001... CoolPoly evenly distributes and efficiently dissipates heat, leaving lower temperature differentials and preventing overheating and component failure. Injection moldable, it can be produced using most standard base polymers.

Acrylic & multipolymer guide.
January 1, 2001... "Acrylic Advisor" aids selection of appropriate molding and extrusion, highlighting five compounds including grade descriptions, physical properties and processing conditions for injection molding, extrusion and thermoforming when applicable....

Liquid crystal polymer family.
January 1, 2001... Vectran enables packagers to use conventional resins and processing, including thermoforming for medical, food and aggressive chemical applications. Unaffected by humidity, steril- izing chemicals. microwaves or cryogenic temperatures, these...

Pipe resin.
January 1, 2001... Fortitlex HDPE CP52-35 resin was specifically developcd for large-diameter corrugated pipes and is similar in melt index and density to other pipe resins. Fortiflex is engineered to exceed new NCTL requirements while still providing an...

Conductive reaction-injection-molded poly-urethane.
January 1, 2001... Combining the physical properties of RIM with electrical conductivity eliminates the need for expensive and problematic surface coating processes of oilier plastics. Low volume resistivity makes this technology useful for EMI shielding or...

Thermoplastic materials used in bicycle frames.
January 1, 2001... * Cannondale and K2 turned to TowFlex continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials for production of lightweight frames, with significant improvements in part manufacturing costs and impact resistance, compared to thermoset prepreg...

Pocket PC CAD.
January 1, 2001... PocketCAD PRO enables engineers to work with CAD files directly in the field using any Windows CE 2.11 or higher-powered mobile device, including pocket PCs, palmsize PCs, handheld PCs and tablet devices.

Design for Assembly upgrade.
January 1, 2001... Version 9.0 of DFA adds many tools to help engineers estimate assembly times and costs for their designs, investigate new design ideas and select the best product design.

Illumination and display analysis.
January 1, 2001... Designed for light and back-lit display analysis, TracePro lets users create and study an entire LCD back light larger than 50mm in size. A repetitive surface algorithm creates millions of conical bumps, dots, pyramids, Brightness Enhancing...

Mathematical solutions.
January 1, 2001... Mathcad 2001 features expanded connectivity with other desktop applications. A built-in version of Vis-Sim LE provides a simulation package to model, simulate and embed control, communication and signal processing systems.

Mechanical simulation.
January 1, 2001... LMS DADS 9.6 now offers a Durability and Vibro-Acoustics Interface for improved use of load time history results as inputs to fatigue studies. Additionally, surface velocities can be exported for vibroacoustic studies.

Timing belt distance tool.
January 1, 2001... A web tool is offered to aid proper timing belt selection, by helping to determine minimum center distance and the number of teeth in mesh on a two-pulley system. The software provides component options and alternative belt-and-pulley...

Electronics thermal analysis.
January 1, 2001... Flotherm version 3.1 has a new solver technology that speeds solutions in the thermal research of electronics packaging. Enhancements to the software includes new "SmartParts" for IC packages.

Mechanical events.
January 1, 2001... Hydrostatic loads can now be applied to these Accupak Mechanical Event Simulation (MES) family elements: plate/shell, 2-D flexible solid, 2-D kinematic, 3-D brick, 3-D tetrahedral and 3-D kinematic. Objects can be modeled that are completely...

Blade design for fans, pumps and turbines.
January 1, 2001... CFX-BladeGen is a specialized 3D software tool for the rapid design of rotating machinery components. The software can be used for axial, mixed-flow and radial blades.

Wide-angle color LCD.
January 1, 2001... The economical, compact F-51161 LCD's wide horizontal viewing angle allows use in restricted mobility situations. An L-shaped CCT backlight provides high contrast and bright surface luminance, for use in dim lighting.

Flat-cable-and-conductor system.
January 1, 2001... This system does not use adhesive to bond the conductors to the insulation. An arbor press can make terminations. Thinner than ribbon cable, this system has high conductor counts for powering moving systems.

Digital pressure gauge.
January 1, 2001... Merigauge offers 0.25% accuracy pressure measurements for liquids and gases compatible with 3/16 in. stainless steel. The unit allows concurrent display of analog histogram, real-time and max/min digital values, ranging between 0 and 6,000...

Optical touch buttons.
January 1, 2001... The STB self-checking control buttons trigger with a photoelectric circuit, requiring no pressure to operate. The circuitry includes a diverse-redundant microcontroller to monitor the function of the primary photoelectric circuit.

Panel mount keyboard.
January 1, 2001... This molded elastomer technology panel is sealed to resist dust and water with a NEMA-4 rating. The MET keyboard includes a pressure-sensitive dual-button mouse and is available with LED backlighting for dim environments.

Liquid level switch.
January 1, 2001... Because Minitek LL01 series switches use epoxy-sealed electronics, these switches operate in liquids of any viscosity, eliminating any stickness problems and mechanical failure. Ultrasonic sensing replaces higher maintenance mechanical float...

Miniature clock oscillators.
January 1, 2001... Surface-mount Series-R oscillators cover the 1.544 to 125 MHz range with any DC supply voltage application, providing time and frequency reference signals for wireless and networking products.

Automotive gauges.
January 1, 2001... Telemetrix gauges are lightweight and compact for high-performance applications and include a user-programma-ble speedometer with LCD odometer and trip function, a switchable tachometer for 4-, 6-and 8-cylinders, and many other gauges.

Digital servo-amplifier.
January 1, 2001... The DES 50/5 smoothly controls velocity and torque in brushless-motors with low speeds sinusoidal commutation at 50 kHz. It is compatible with low inductance motors that use Hall-effect sensors and digital encoders.

Surface-mount high-CV capacitor.
January 1, 2001... The ACHZ series combines super-high CV, low- impedance, low-inductance and long-life in a surface mount package. Operating temperature is between -40[degrees] and 105[degrees]C and nominal capacitance range is 47 to 6,800 [micro]F.

Load measuring pins.
January 1, 2001... These pins replace normal shafts to measure loads and detect overloads. Strain gauges in the pins produce signals proportional to the measured load. High-resistance stainless steel, suits them for hostile environments.