Cutting tools for implantable materials

Cutting tools for medical manufacturing target implantables such as dental components, hip parts, and spinal screws. The ISO 9000-certified tools are for turning, grooving, parting, threading, milling, and drilling. For example, MillThread solid-carbide end-mills handle high-speed thread milling. SwissCut tools are compact enough for Swiss type automatics. And Jet-Cuts feature a cutting insert with internal coolant holes for parting exotic metals. In addition, SolidDrills solid-carbide drills provide stable and accurate drilling, while ChamDrills feature a solid carbide insert for machining holes and chamfers. The tools cut materials including titanium, silicon, and stainless steel.

Iscar Metals Inc., 300 Westway Place, Arlington, TX 76018, www.info.hotims.com/18367-260

Dental handpieces made to order

These dental handpieces come with many options. For example, dental bearings are available for over 225 high-speed handpieces, 100 slow-speed designs, and a variety of drive rings. Also available are high-speed dental bearings for severe environments and extreme bearing demands. Bearing and drive-ring designs can be customized. The company assists with tasks from design engineering for simple flanges, to intricate lubrication grooves, O-ring housings, and new materials and designs.

Pacamor Kubar Bearings, 145 Jordan Rd., Troy, NY 12180, (516) 283-8002, www.info.hotims.com/18367-261

Power adaptor has Class I and II insulation

The TMP150 series of medical grade ac-dc desktop power adapters (150 W) sports class I and II insulation. The class II units, which come with an IEC 320/C18 ac inlet without a ground pin, are doubly insulated for safety when a ground is not likely. Class I units come with an IEC 320/C14 ac inlet with a ground pin. Earth-leakage current on class I units is 90 µA at 115 Vac or 150 µA at 230 Vac. On class II units, enclosure-leakage current is as low as 90 µA at 264 Vac. The units have a standby power consumption of less than 0.5 W and an efficiency higher than 85%. They comply with CEC and Energy Star efficiency level IV, and RoHS requirements.

Tumbler Technologies Inc, 3350 Scott Blvd, Building 13, Santa Clara, CA 95054, (408) 988-6616, www.info.hotims.com/18367-262

Help with CAPA tasks

Modules in the Enovia Life Sciences Accelerator software address CAPA (Corrective and preventive action) and product complaints. The software assists with quality issues by managing them through a single, online system. CAPAs progress through stages including initiation, approval, root-cause analysis, remediation, and effectiveness monitoring. The software helps companies avoid compliance risk, reduce waste, and improve communications with team members and business operations. It also provides a way to track, investigate, and correct quality issues according to regulatory conventions and industry best practices.

Dassault Systèmes, Enovia Corp., 900 Chelmsford St, Lowell, MA, 01851, (978) 442-2500, www.info.hotims.com/18367-263

Measuring device also archives images

The Quadra-Chek 300 (QC300) digital-readout measurement and inspection device features an image archive that let users store measured part features, including test data and descriptive text, as JPG images for documentation and quality-inspection purposes. The QC300 works by combining multiple video-measuring functions including video display, cross-line generator, and automated edge detection. In addition, the QC300 features a large, high-resolution LCD monitor for full-color display of parts. A built-in direct-camera input provides “live feed” video display.

Metronics, Box 5760, 30 Harvey Rd, Bedford, NH 03108-2440, (603) 622-0212, www.info.hotims.com/18367-264

Solid-state memory for advanced medical equipment

SiliconDrive II Blade product families address the growing demand for solid-state drives in the Blade form factor. SiliconDrive II Blade is a flexible advanced solid-state storage in an ultra-small form factor that meets requirements of Enterprise System OEMs. The Blade is based upon the developer's next-generation storage platform that offers faster read/write speeds and reliability to address critical OEM design considerations such as storage system endurance, elimination of drive corruption, and an ability to forecast useable life. SiliconDrive II Blade products provide high performance, high reliability, and multi-year product lifecycle storage for medical OEM applications.

SiliconSystems Inc, 26840 Aliso Viejo Pkwy, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, (949) 900-9402, www.info.hotims.com/18367-265

Vent prevents chassis fires

The PyroCide Vent Panel prevents fires that start in an electronics chassis from spreading, an important function for equipment requiring flame safety, such as some medical devices. Upon heating, the vent panel's flame-retardant coating expands to close the honeycomb cells, thus stopping flames from spreading and eliminating air flow that would further spread a fire. To maximize cooling air, the panel has more than 95% open area and almost no resistance to air flow before the reaction. As a bonus, the Vent Panel can use smaller fans to reduce noise and lower energy costs.

Universal Air Filter Co., 1624 Sauget Industrial Parkway, Sauget, IL 62206, (800) 541-3478, www.info.hotims.com/18367-266

Online help selecting medical connectors

A supplier of connectors has launched an online service and support program for its flex connectors (FFC/FPC/CIC). The service helps users select a best connector or interconnector for a design. Products vary from the traditional 2.54-mm to 0.3-mm pitch. Features include back-side flip actuation, a way to lock the cable in place with one hand, and ZIF (zero insertion force) with prehold. The site also lets users quickly find products, drawings, performance characteristics, and technical information. Technical support is also available.

FCI, 825 Old Trail Rd, Etters, PA 17319, (800) 237-2374, www.info.hotims.com/18367-267

3D printer for medical prototypes

The Alaris30 3D printer is office-friendly and small enough to fit on a desk. The machine prints accurate parts with smooth surfaces, moving parts, and text that stands out clearly. The printer uses the developer's PolyJet technology that jets proprietary materials in 28-µ thick layers. Similar to a text printer, the jetting head slides back and forth along the X-axis, depositing a single layer of photopolymer onto the build tray. Each layer is immediately cured and hardened by UV light, producing fully cured models that can be handled immediately. A support structure jetted along with the build material allows complicated geometries such as cavities, overhangs, undercuts, delicate features, and walls as thin as 0.6 mm. When the build finishes, the support material is easily removed by hand or water jetting. The model is then ready for form, fit, and function testing, or secondary operations such as painting, drilling, and chrome-plating. Parts can also be used as molds for tooling.

Objet Geometries Inc, 5 Fortune Dr, Billerica, MA 01821, (877) 489-9449, www.info.hotims.com/18367-268

Clean water for labs

The modular Elix Advantage water purifier provides high quality pure water from a tap. The unit features Elix electrodeionization and good ergonomics. The Elix's water delivery point, the E-POD (Elix water point of delivery) has an ergonomic design that lets it mount on a bench or wall for efficient, pressurized water dispensing, when and where it is needed. Up to three E-PODs can be connected for manual and volume dispensing at flow rates of up to 2 liter/min. The unit's display shows information for daily use, such as water quality and system status.

Millipore Corp., 80 Ashby Rd, Bedford, MA 01730, (800) 548-7853, www.info.hotims.com/18367-269

Sheet sample kit for thermoforming

An updated Kydex sheet sample kit for thermoforming includes general information about the more than 30 grades of thermoplastic sheets. Kydex material provides good formability, hot tear strength, and it maintains uniform wall thickness. Typical applications include medical-device packages as well as equipment housings, shrouds, and enclosures. The kit includes a product selection guide that details the physical properties of each grade. It also suggests applications, product highlights, production capability, and environmental and safety considerations. Included are samples with product-thickness specifications in a variety of textures, colors, and grades. Specific application kits are also available.

Kleerdex Co. LLC, 6685 Low St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, (570) 387-6997, www.info.hotims.com/18367-270

Skinny lamp mounts most anywhere

A series of slimline lamps come equipped with an on-off switch and movement sensor. Users have the choice of a lamp with or without electrical sockets. An optional magnet attachment allows fitting the SL025 in any position in a steel enclosure. This CE-compliant product is suitable for all panels and enclosures, especially where space is a premium. Price starts at $58.

Omega Engineering Inc, One Omega Drive, Stamford, CT 06907, (203) 359-1660, www.info.hotims.com/18367-271

Company molds and slits silicone parts

Sil-Pro provides robotic slitting of molded silicone components such as introducer and hemostasis valves. Suited for high volume and small to medium production runs, slit parts are first molded and extruded in a class 10,000 cleanroom. The company also provides assembly, overmolding, and material formulation as well as quality plans for every part project including validation, control inspections, certifications, and traceability.

Sil-Pro, 740 Seventh St., Delano, Minnesota 55328, www.info.hotims.com/18367-272

Power supplies mount on PCBs

Single-output ZPSA40 and ZPSA60 power supplies accept a wide input-voltage range, have a low profile, and an industry standard footprint (2 × 4 × 1.07-in.). This makes them useful in medical and test-and-measurement equipment. These 40 and 60-W supplies come with widely used outputs from 3.3 to 48 Vdc. Outputs float so they can be used as either a positive or negative polarity. Typical efficiencies are up to 88%. The supplies are rated for operation with convection cooling from 0 to 70C with derating. All supplies carry the CE mark and are RoHS compliant.

Lambda America, 3055 Del Sol Blvd, San Diego, CA 92154, (619) 575-4400, www.info.hotims.com/18367-273

Heater kit gets projects going

A heater design and manufacturing company provides a Flexible Heaters Prototype Design Kit that lets users easily test a heater concept. The kit is filled with Thermofoil flexible heaters, instructions and technical data to help design teams successfully combine flexible heaters in an application. The kit has thin, lightweight etched foil heaters that can eliminate rod, ceramic, coil, and other bulkier heaters in designs. Heaters include commercial grade polyimide and ULA heaters, polyimide and FEP heaters, and silicone rubber heaters. Kits also includes RTV cement, start-up guide, next-step instructions, and more.

Minco Inc, 7300 Commerce Lane, Minneapolis, MN 55432, (763) 571-3121, www.info.hotims.com/18367-274

Bearing support for ball screws

A line of square supports for ball screws target medical machines and assembly stations. The series includes the small BSQ/BSQM for tight spaces and the low-floor profile BSV/BSVM for limited clearance applications. The BSA/BSAM features narrow-pitch mounting holes.

The support units come in 1045 carbon steel with electroless nickel plating or black-oxide coating. All are RoHS compliant and include bearing housing, angular bearing class 5, cover, hexagon socket head cap screw, spacer, clamping nut and oil seal.

Misumi USA Inc, 1105 Remington Rd., Suite B, Schaumburg, IL 60173, (800) 681-7475, www.info.hotims.com/18367-276

Metrology instrument works with many sensors

The Galileo AV350 Video Measurement System multi-sensor metrology instrument provides a 14 × 14-in. X-Y work area and an 8-in. Z-clearance. This large Z-clearance combined with extra rigidity allows multi-sensor attachments, such as those for vision and laser scanning as well as a contact probe. The Galileo AV350 is ideal for use in medical QC labs, research, engineering and manufacturing environments. A color optical system provides a zoom-magnification ratio of 12:1 with a programmable magnification range from 15x to 550x (on screen) with auxiliary lenses. An LED illuminator or triple output fiber-optic, ring light and co-axial illumination provides lighting. The system includes a 24-in. widescreen, flat panel LCD display. Options include a Renishaw PH6 contact probe with TP20 module and an Optimet Mark III Laser Probe.

The L.S. Starrett Co., 121 Crescent St., Athol, MA 01331, (978) 249-3551, www.info.hotims.com/18367-275