Medical Device Link.

PRODUCT UPDATE

Baldor Electric Co.

A line of all-stainless-steel motors, servomotors, and speed reducers is available from a US manufacturer of energy-saving industrial electric motors, drives, and generators. Stainless Super-E (SSE) motors from Baldor Electric Co. (Fort Smith, AR, USA) come in versions from 1/2 to 2 hp at this time; the range will soon be extended to 10 hp. These motors have a housing, conduit box (which is welded to the motor), conduit box cover, shaft, base, fan cover, and slinger all made of stainless steel. An encapsulated lead hole in the conduit box and epoxy-encapsulated windings prevent moisture from reaching the windings, which are designed to provide a level of efficiency at or above NEMA Premium. SSE motors save electricity and costs in high-volume production applications while also providing long life and cool operation. A special feature of the series is a hydrophobic aspiration system that eliminates condensation moisture and with it the need for drains as used with conventional washdown-duty motors.

The all-stainless brushless servomotors are designed to handle IP67 and 1500-psi washdown conditions. Carrying UL, CE, CSA, and BISSC approvals, they can be used in harsh, corrosive-liquid, high-hygiene environments. Available in standard and low-inertia models, the servomotors come in five frame sizes. They provide continuous torque as high as 32 N•m and peak torques ranging from three to four times the continuous-torque rating.

Easy to clean and sanitize, the stainless-steel speed reducers minimize bacterial contamination. Their stainless construction provides a high degree of protection for pharmaceutical and chemical processing applications involving the introduction of potentially corrosive chemicals and cleaning solutions. Offered in versions through 5 hp, the reducers are available from stock with solid or hollow-bore output shafts in three frame sizes.

maxon motor AG

Motors and gearheads for incorporation into high-technology but small-scale medical and dental devices are offered by a specialty manufacturer. Providing versatile drive solutions for medical equipment manufacturers interested in replacing compressed-air drives with quieter, more flexible, more hygienic, and more easily regulated electrical ones that, in addition, may be sterilized, maxon motor AG (Sachseln, Switzerland) supplies three sterilizable dc motors and three sterilizable gearheads.

Electronically commutated dc motors are available in diameters of 6, 16, and 22 mm. The production processes and choices of material used in making them have been optimized to accommodate the extreme conditions they will encounter during sterilization. The most recently introduced product, the EC 16, has a 40-W output and 12.6-mN•m torque and reaches speeds of 50,000 rpm. The motors can be supplied with integrated Hall effect sensors that allow creation of highly dynamic servo drives when the motors are combined with appropriate electronics.

To support applications requiring greater torque and lower speeds, the manufacturer offers three sterilizable gearheads, with a new 22-mm-diam model complementing the existing 6- and 8-mm-diam versions. The new GP 22 M features a choice of 55 reduction ratios from 3.8:1 to 4592:1 and a maximum continuous torque of 2 N•m. Combining this gearhead with the EC 22 motor creates a dynamic 50-W unit that is highly versatile.

Haydon Motion Europe

Precision leadscrews and nuts recently added to a line of linear actuators are offered to provide equipment designers with a means to improve axial system stiffness. Available from Haydon Motion Europe (Coueron, France), the acme leadscrews are produced from Type 303 stainless steel by means of a proprietary precision rolling process and feature very tight lead accuracy. They come in diameters of 4.76–9.525 mm, with a wide choice of leads at each diameter. The screws can be supplied with a specially developed Black Ice PTFE coating that is engineered not to flake as some other PTFE coatings do.

New antibacklash nuts are well suited for applications that require precise positioning, because they prevent any backlash between leadscrew and nut at their interface. They are manufactured from a proprietary self-lubricating polyacetal that, in combination with the leadscrew technology, ensures low drag torque and smooth operation for as long as the assembly is in service. When supplied from the factory with the standard lubricant, the nuts should operate for the life of the motor without needing relubrication. They may be used without lubrication when operating with Black Ice–coated leadscrews.

The nuts are available in three antibacklash styles and in a low-profile freewheeling design. A wide range of diameters and leads are offered. The nuts come with a thread mount and are easily customized by the addition of various standard flanges and special flange configurations.

High-performance motion control and positioning systems and components are produced as integrated automation solutions for a line of medical manufacturing equipment, including systems for stent cutting, laser welding of catheters, DNA sequencing, blood sequencing, haptic milling and drilling, contact lens fabrication, and various medical imaging techniques. The Automation 3200 controller offered by Aerotech Ltd. (Aldermaston, Berks, UK) and used in its manufacturing equipment is a 100% digital automation platform that consists of software-based control architecture running on a Windows-compatible platform with intelligent, distributed, networked drives. The controller brings to such manufacturing machines as the VascuLathe stent-cutting system motion, vision, input/output, and programmable logic control functionality. It is designed to simplify machine control while maximizing product quality.

In the VascuLathe, the integrated motion system couples automated material handling with high-performance direct-drive linear and rotary motion capability. The integral linear-rotary design allows for stent-cutting throughput two to five times that possible with traditional screw-based and other manufacturing approaches. It meanwhile enables submicron tolerances to be maintained on tight part geometries.

The equipment manufacturer produces its own motors, drives, stages, and gantries, as well as controllers, in order to create the optimal system automation solution.

SKF

Miniature linear stages can be incorporated into in vitro diagnostic (IVD) instruments as fully integrated plug-and-play units. Pico stages from SKF (Göteborg, Sweden) are designed and constructed so as to remove the need to inventory and subassemble disparate system components. Manufacturing simplicity and enhanced instrument reliability are the consequences of this approach.

The compact stages include drive and guidance mechanisms based on the manufacturer’s standard precision-ground ball screws and miniature-profile rail guides. They are available in sizes of 60 and 80 mm, with five standard stroke lengths for each size. Travel speeds to 500 mm/sec are attainable. The controlled linear movement provided by the stages promotes good repeatability, precise positioning, high accuracy, and quiet operation for laboratory and clinical chemistry instrumentation.

Standard features of these stages include an extruded-aluminium base, a stainless-steel cover for corrosion resistance, limit switches with a plug attachment, and axes designed for cross-table assembly. A stepper motor package, a servomotor package, attachment of linear measurement systems, and variable multiaxis assembly are optionally available. In addition, the stages can be customized to meet unique instrument specifications.