Medical Edge May 28, 2008
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In addition to popular
Silicone, Apple Rubber now offers custom O-rings and seals made from
medical-grade elastomers such as Viton® fluoroelastomer (FKM) and
EPDM rubber. Ideal for medical applications, such elastomers feature
improved chemical resistors, excellent heat resistance
(400°F/200°C), and low permeability to gases. Capabilities at
Apple Rubber include complete engineering support, manufacturing,
quality assurance and a Class 10,000 ISO Class 7, certified
cleanroom.
When medical labs
reduce errors they trim costs and improve processing uniformity. One way
to make such gains is with automated laboratory equipment for handling
liquids along with uniform analysis and sample preparations that deliver
reproducible results. 
Most know that
pressure-sensitive-adhesive tapes can hold electrodes to patient chests
for ECGs. But did you know the tapes can hold assemblies together and
even provide a path for heat and stray electric currents? 
A new range of
industrial low-profile ATX computer power supplies is available. The
ZWX-series open-frame, ac-dc supplies from Lambda Americas are
aimed at server and industrial-computer applications. These supplies
provide the five voltages (+3.3, +5, +12, -12 and +5V standby) and are
1U rack or enclosure mountable. 
The DV509 pneumatic
diaphragm valve is suitable for precise flow control of low to
medium-viscosity liquids such as cyanoacrylates, reagents, UV adhesives,
and volatile substances where the wetted parts must be separated from
the air supply. This valve from I&J Fisnar can dispense >0.0001cc
or 0.1µl at 200 cycles/sec. Use the VDP150 for constant high
repeatability deposits of medium to high-viscosity fluids of 5,000 to
20,000 cps. 
Brushless dc WOB-L air
compressors and vacuum pumps are for medical applications requiring a
small-size and lightweight pump with variable output. The 250 series
pump is extremely small (4.25 × 4.54 × 3.02-in.) and weighs only 1.9
lbs. In addition, the 260 Series features variable output (1,000 to
3,000 rpm) using an efficient brushless dc motor, an enclosed crankcase
for reduced sound, and the proven reliability of Thomas Products
Div.'s , WOB-L piston technology. 
People with tumors or
cancer and suffering major bone loss are not good candidates for joint
implants. The maladies weaken the bone so much that conventional
implants fit badly. The sad alternative has been the amputation of
affected limbs. “But in the past three years, more than 250 of such
patients, about 90% of whom are under 30 years old, received custom made
implants,” says George Vicatos, director of Isiqu Orthopedics in Cape
Town, South Africa. 
A fibrous web that
contracts and expands quickly could be wrapped around diseased hearts to
help them beat longer and possibly recover from their ailments. U.K.
researchers developing the material say the approach is less invasive
than heart-assist techniques that involve surgically inserting a pump
into the heart. The material is made from polyethylene, which is also
used to make artificial heart valves. The heart assist device consists
of three belts woven through the fabric and powered by small electric
motors. The motors generate a pulsing rhythm that draws in and releases
the elastic web. Force sensors can coordinate the motors with the
heart's rhythm by sensing its movements. Want to use this article? Click here for options!
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