Aug 21 2009
COMPAMED, the international leading trade fair for the supplier market of medical manufacturing, opens its doors in the scope of MEDICA from November 18 to 20, 2009 in Düsseldorf, Germany, again. Experts of the medical technology industry show new developments, ranging from plastic and ceramic components to surfaces and material analysis, as well as sensor technology and implants at the IVAM Product Market "High-tech for Medical Devices". The focal themes include nanomed, advanced materials, microtechnology and high-tech manufacturing. A highlight will be the topic "Quality management using excellent measurement, testing and analyzing technology". The Product Market and the forum are organized by IVAM Microtechnology Network.
Quality management for medical technology products
Now-a-days stents and canulas are used very often in medical technology. Those important components constantly have to meet a high standard in quality and µm reproducibility. Therefore ISIS sentronics GmbH has developed the compact stand-alone table-top device i-Dex t, which will be presented at the IVAM joint pavilion in the framework of COMPAMED. The integrated sensors StraDex and RayDex allow a measurement of the inner and outer diameter as well as of the wall thickness within 100 nm repeatability. The outer and inner thickness of coatings can also be simultaneously evaluated. Optionally strut widths, contours and roughness are measured with the same system.
The optical 3D measurement device InfiniteFocus from Alicona Imaging GmbH is often used in the dental industry. Form and roughness measurements significantly enhance quality assurance of e.g. tooth implants. In-process roughness measurements guarantee the necessary surface state for the proper adhesion with the tissue. Also, inside form measurements of implants are performed. The numerical verification of sealing ensures that no bacterial invasion occurs. Comparative measurements to a CAD dataset ensure dimensional accuracy. "Due to the vertical resolution of up to 10 nm, InfiniteFocus is also used by precision tool designers. Even very small radii of e.g. drills are measured within seconds. Also, 360° measurements of shaft tools enormously increase cost effectiveness", adds CEO Dr. Stefan Scherer.
NanoFocus AG's analysis systems allow high precision micro and nano scale 3D surface measurements. The systems work at high measurement and analysis speeds for use near production lines, offering quality assurance and thereby manufacturing efficiency.
Advanced materials
JENOPTIK Polymer Systems GmbH will show a double-sided microlens array in plastic. It enables, among others, homogenization of laser sources as well as beam guidance in laser projection systems. Especially in the area of health care and life science, these microlens arrays can be used, for example, in lighting applications for examinations and surgeries, or for beam shaping in diagnosis and therapy. The use of plastics enables an economic production.
Microfluidics
Bartels Mikrotechnik GmbH will present news from its two business divisions microEngineering and microComponents: bringing novel technologies into medical applications, the microEngineering division offers development support and product innovation through microtechnology. New technologies for fluid transport with high potential in diagnostic testing, based on the example of electrowetting, are presented. In microComponents the focus lies on flow controlled micropump systems addressing the demands of the medical market concerning accuracy, safety and monitoring. With either a patented intrinsic low costs sensing solution or a hybrid system including silicone flow sensors, different accuracy and flow ranges can be achieved.
With its new miniaturized, piezo-driven O-run membrane pump, PARItec GmbH will present an innovation that can be integrated flexibly in a wide variety of medical technology products. Based on MICROrun technology the pump covers flow ranges from 0.05 to 100 ml/min (water), features counter pressure resistance up to 500 mbar (water), and is self-aspirating and gas-bubble tolerant. The output capability manages viscosities as high as 1,000 mPa. The O-run therefore can be used to transport such media as glycerine, for example. The spectrum of application for the O-run piezo membrane pump comprises therapeutic, respiratory, diagnostic and infusion systems, mobile and stationary laboratory devices, and industrial production and test systems of all kinds.
Piezoelectric components for drive technology
Physik Instrumente (PI) will present numerous piezoelectric components and drive solutions for medical technology. Space saving piezoelectric actuators and motors are used where ultra-fast or high-precision motion is required. This is the case for micro pumps, dispensers or dosing valves for volumes of micro- and nanoliters or for the generation of homogeneous aerosol. Piezoelectric drives consume a low amount of electrical power, which is an important feature for mobile devices. Furthermore, they promise a high reliability. They do not need mechanical components such as shafts or gear boxes, which can be found as weak points in classical drive systems.
Sensor technology
At COMPAMED, Sensirion AG will prove its competence in flow measurement. On the one hand, the differential pressure sensors of the SDP600 series will be presented to the visitors. The digital sensors have been successfully used in medical ventilation since 2009. On the other hand the experts from Switzerland will demonstrate their technological ability to detect air bubbles along with the precise measurement of liquid flow. This feature allows a significant increase in process safety, particularly in the fields of medical diagnostics and infusion technology. Furthermore, Sensirion will introduce the new humidity and temperature sensor SHT21, which is, according to product manager Dr. Michael Hunziker, "the world's smallest digital humidity sensor".
It is the first time that ACEOS GmbH will show its OEM oxygen- and carbondioxid-module with optional volume flow measurement. The ACE-DXmed has an integrated pump and analyzes the gas concentration within milliseconds. Through the optional FDA certified volume flow sensor it is now possible to determine the amount of gas (e.g. for breath analysis) as well. The board the size of a postcard meets the RoHS standard, is calibration free, auto compensated and has no consumables. "Our international customers are ISO 13485 certified manufacturers for cardiopulmonary stress testing devices, breath and lunge diagnostic devices, but also bio engineering manufacturers", explains Gunnar Jung, product manager at ACEOS.
Click here to read the full press release