While nothing will ever replace the human touch in the medical and healthcare sectors, technology is playing an increasingly important part in the professionals’ ability to deliver a full range of services from diagnostic to treatment. The distinction between medical practitioner and technician has blurred and every healthcare provider has to have a hands-on relationship with a vast array of equipment, thereby moving design and ergonomics up the rankings in key considerations for product development.
According to leading supplier of engineered access solutions Southco, there are two key drivers for product development in the medical sector: innovation and cost containment. Ulrike Sturman, Industry Marketing Specialist at Southco, says: “Budgetary constraints are always a significant factor, but in an industry whose end customers, the patients, are demanding better access to preventative care as well as treatment the onward march of pioneering technology is inevitable and the equipment inventory can only grow. This puts pressure on the manufacturers to consider pricing very carefully and whereas in the past they have relied on in-house solutions for design and construction, they are now looking for partners who can bring with them the expertise that offers cost-effective enhancements to innovative product design.”
External influences are already being seen with links to other manufacturing clusters such as screen, image and sound, and with that comes the progression towards partnerships with specialist suppliers such as Southco. Ulrike Sturman: “Southco is active in a wide range of industry sectors and we can bring expertise honed in them into the medical equipment industry. The most significant area we have identified is that of positioning control which has a major role to play to ensure safe and reliable handling of a wide range of equipment.”
Positioning control mechanisms are integral in equipment used in all aspects of the medical industry from laboratory, hospital and surgery equipment to rehabilitation devices. The applications are diverse: what they have in common is the need to meet medical industry standards for safety, speed and precision while contributing to the cost efficiencies expected by healthcare customers.
Southco is leading its thrust into the medical sector with a new range of CEMA ST Series constant-torque position control hinges which can be applied across a wide range of different applications. The key application zones the company has identified include diagnostic and medical imaging equipment, such as ultrasound, dialysis and heart machines, examination and treatment chairs and tables, lighting and sterilisation equipment. Each application shares the same requirements for safe and reliable handling, quick and intuitive action for maintenance and daily use and, of course, compliance with hygiene standards.
According to Ulrike Sturman, methods currently applied by manufacturers have inherent weaknesses: “Most current solutions require regular re-adjustment which introduces both maintenance and safety issues. They tend not to be sufficiently smooth in movement or offer adequately accurate adjustment and, frankly, they rarely add to the aesthetics of the equipment.”
Southco offers a sophisticated range of positioning control devices which can withstand continual repetitive operation with minimum maintenance and maximum reliability. The key differentiator of the CEMA hinges is their maintenance-free design. The reliable positioning torque eliminates the need for secondary mechanical supports and the high strength and rugged construction of the multiple torque satisfies a variety of end-use applications. They are designed to be smooth in operation, giving a feeling of precision and quality and they are robust and reliable. They are also hidden in installation which adds to safe handling and makes equipment easier to maintain to the correct hygiene standards.
Ulrike Sturman continues: “A key requirement of medical equipment is constant availability. Schedules can become seriously disrupted and patient care compromised if service has to be interrupted simply because a minor adjustment to a positioning control is needed. The long-life performance of our constant-torque range means that the hinges will offer a lifetime performance without any need for adjustment. They have, in fact, been tested to over 20,000 cycles whereas other similar products we have seen need to be adjusted after around 5,000 cycles. Obviously this significantly reduces maintenance costs which can affect the lifetime costing of the equipment involved.”
The CEMA range features a compact design that allows robust positioning technology to be packaged in even the smallest applications. The all-metal construction includes steel, die-cast aluminium and aluminium alloy components. They are available in torque values ranging from 0.35kg/cm to 51kg/cm and they accommodate working loads up to 1200N.
Southco’s full portfolio of positioning control hardware includes torque hinges, detent hinges, stored motion devices and bi-stable mechanisms, all designed to offer long-lasting product performance enhanced by refined ergonomic motion.