Medical Device Link.

MIXED MEDIA

Vibration testing white paper

A white paper devoted to vibration testing of load cells has been published by Futek Advanced Sensor Technology. The 16-page document describes how the company was able to satisfy a challenging request from a client sourcing a specialised sensor. The sensor in question not only had to endure variations in temperature and moisture, but it also had to survive testing to a controlled industry standard by an independent testing lab. The white paper is a chronological account of the preparation, results and analysis of the required vibration testing, replete with an array of supporting figures and tables. The ultimate objective of the test was to establish the suvivability and validation of miniature s-beam and miniature beam load cells in a vibration test application per MIL-STD-810E, with a 10-minute interval in each x, y and z directional axis for each set of units.
Futek Advanced Sensor Technology
Irvine, CA, USA
www.futek.com

Printed electronics e-book

Described as a work in progress, A Foldable World is an electronic book devoted to nanotechnology and the emerging field of printed, transparent and foldable electronics. Maintained by Massimo Marrazzo of the design firm Biodomotica, the combination scrapbook and manifesto assembles articles, concepts, insights and speculation on the future of nanotechnology-enabled flexible electronics. Also included are renderings of several concept products applying this technology, such as a pair of glasses that incorporate a camera and zoom lens (pictured). This is not sci-fi, stresses Marrazzo in his book, which can be downloaded free of charge as a PDF file from the company’s website. “This technology will be out of the laboratory [in] three to four years,” he writes. The e-book’s content is not technical in nature—Marrazzo believes that product design applied to flexible electronics will be more akin to fashion and graphic design, where the focus is on style rather than function—and the technology’s potential impact on medical applications goes unmentioned. But the author’s passion is infectious, and if this technology has the scope that Marrazzo predicts, then no industry will be immune to its reach.
Biodomotica
Turin, Italy
www.biodomotica.com

X-ray test device instructional video

An instructional video has been produced for users of the TNT 12000 x-ray test device. The maintenance, calibration and quality assurance tool designed by Fluke Biomedical for service and radiation management professionals is suitable for use by physicists as well as biomedical engineers. The video is one of several demonstration media that have been recently introduced by the company. Flash demonstrations, webinars and electronic return-on-investment calculators are other tools the company has developed to support customers before and after they purchase its products. The TNT 12000 instructional video and other electronic support media can be viewed on the company’s website.
Fluke Biomedical
Cleveland, OH, USA
www.flukebiomedical.com

Elastomers resource guide

An expandable ring binder with extensive data on 33 high-purity elastomer compounds for healthcare applications is available from the thermoplastic elastomer division of Teknor Apex. The binder’s tabbed sections include a grade selector with data on the material’s toxicology, sterilisability, chemical resistance and processing parameters; process guidelines and design considerations related to the elastomers are also addressed. The initial range of 33 Medalist compounds includes grades with Shore A hardnesses from 5 to 87. Clear, translucent and opaque formulations are available. The binder is offered to qualified OEMs, designers and plastics processors in the medical device and healthcare-related industries. Each binder is registered with its owner, who will receive updates with new test results and data on Medalist grades as they become available. A binder can be requested from the Medalist website at www.medalistmd.com.
Teknor Apex
Oldbury, UK
www.teknorapex.com

Medical software development

A software developer that routinely partners with medical device manufacturers has published a report titled How to Manage an FDA-Controlled Software Project. The second in a series of free reports offered by Full Spectrum Software, it covers best practices in software team communications, software methodologies and managing and organizing software engineering and software quality assurance teams. The company has more than 10 years of experience developing software for medical device applications. In this report, it shares some of the techniques it has perfected during this time for building high-performing software project teams. The paper can be downloaded free of charge at the company’s website, as can the first report—Software Obfuscation for Medical Device Companies. Ultimately, the company plans to publish a total of 10 technical papers.
Full Spectrum Software
Southborough, MA, USA
www.fullspectrumsoftware.com

Motion control videos

Techniques for controlling unwanted motion in dynamic systems by means of pneumatic technology is illustrated in a series of online videos. Dynamic systems often produce unwanted motion and require control of velocity, time delay, falling mass, vibration, oscillation, over action and impact. The videos produced by Airpot Corp. show how glass cylinder and graphite piston technology in dashpots, snubbers and air bearing actuators can be used to effectively control motion. The 3- to 4-minute videos describe how snubbers cushion impact, detail the properties of a zero friction air bearing actuator and illustrate the differences between pull and push damping. The videos can be accessed on the company’s website, which also allows designers to configure 3-D CAD files of nonstock products with construction requirements tailored to their applications. Airpot routinely works with customers to adapt its products to individual applications and offers subassembly services.
Airpot Corp.
Norwalk, CT, USA
www.airpot.com