Medical Design & Manufacturing West '98

Attendees will benefit from an array of opportunities at this year's MD&M West '98 show, held in conjunction with the Pacific Design Engineering show. The expanded four-day, 33-session conference features more than 1,100 exhibitors and offers product solutions to help manufacturers and designers optimize operations.

One badge admits guests to both shows where they can explore the latest devices, materials, services, and applications to enter the medical-industry market.

Two new pavilions join MD&M West's traditional rapid prototyping, IVD supplier, and international pavilions.

The Medical Electronics pavilion features leading electronic manufacturers, such as Mitel and Tamaura, displaying the latest developments in LEDs, LCDs, ASICs, embedded PCs, sensors, ICs, and PC-boards.

The second new pavilion, MED-PAK: Medical Packaging Solutions, features live demonstrations showcasing the latest in semi-rigid, blister, flexible, pouch-sealing equipment, and other medical-packaging technology. Representatives from the top names in medical packaging will be on hand to offer custom solutions for all equipment, materials, and service needs. The international pavilion represents 15 countries from the Pacific Rim and Latin America.

Attendees can also view the next generation in sterilization and injection-molding equipment, computer software, and lasers for the medical industry.

MD&M West '98 is produced and managed by CANON COMMUNICATIONS LLC and sponsored by Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. The show is devoted to providing attendees with the latest information on the design, development, and manufacture of medical products, from high-volume, single-use disposables to next-generation diagnostic instruments and advanced imaging systems.

Machine

The Posiratio mini meter, mix, and dispense machine is for clean-room or medical applications. The clean-room version features a polished stainless-steel enclosure instead of painted steel. Some frame components and all fasteners are also provided in stainless steel. The remaining components, such as the metering pump drive, are provided in electroless nickel-plated carbon steel. Available options include material-feed tank-level sensors, agitation and heat, and control features including automatic cycle counters and purge timers.
Liquid Control Corp. Booth 0376 Box 2747North Canton, OH 44720FAX (330) 494-5383

Software

SolidWorks 97Plus Windows-native 3-D mechanical design software features more than 160 enhancements which include: performance optimization for large assemblies, enhanced sweeping and lofting, interactive customizable exploded views, improvements in detailing, and expanded Internet capabilities. Part-modeling enhancements include the ability to add 3-D annotations to parts and assemblies for improved communications, the selection of silhouette edges to reference geometry, and automated creation of bend reliefs for sheet-metal design.
SolidWorks Corp. Booth 263 150 Baker Ave.Concord, MA 01742

Medical tape

Polyurethane medical tape for wound-care dressing and securing devices to the skin is breathable and waterproof. Because the tape is transparent, complete visual monitoring of the wound area is possible without disturbing the dressing or medical device. The medical tape is also useful as a backing for hydrocolloid dressings and with any medical product design where breathability, long-term adhesion, and conformability are essential.
3M Medical Specialists Booth 1537 3M Center Bldg., 275-4E-01, St. Paul, MN 55144 FAX (612) 737-7678

Dispense valves

Model 752V-UH dispense valves repeatedly deposit cyanoacrylate to a blood-sampling device without rejects, waste, or downtime. The 3- × 1-inch valve features an adjustable open-close stroke and a chemically inert polymer diaphragm that isolates the reactive adhesive from internal valve parts for trouble-free dispensing cycles.
EFD Inc. Booth 569 977 Waterman Ave. East Providence, RI 02914

Test system

Test-A-Pack Model 2700 non-porous package test system is for fast, accurate, and repeatable testing to verify the integrity of non-porous, flexible packages. The system consists of a fully digital automatic-control console and a package test chamber. Model 2700 allows users to display test data in inches or millimeters of mercury and can also provide values in feet or altitude. Operation is possible in temperatures from 40 to 110F and relative humidity to 90%.
Test-A-Pack Systems Booth 855 10 Cobbam Dr.Orchard Park, NY 75042

Assemblies

Miniature-instrument bearings and matching LinearRace shafts provide a fit-up of 0.0001- to 0.0003-inch clearance for applications requiring precise and smooth motion. The working surfaces of both parts are finished to better than 4 micro-inches to assure smoothness, and the bearings feature a 0.001 to 0.002 coefficient of dynamic friction. Bearings are available in 1/8-, 3/16-, and 1/4-inch bore sizes, are corrosion resistant, and are targeted for use where lubricants cannot be tolerated.
Thomson Industries Inc. Booth 123 2 Channel Dr. Port Washington, NY 11050 FAX (516) 883-9039

Leak tester

The MEDITEQ dedicated leak tester for medical devices is manufactured with a PC-based SPC package and can be programmed for burst or flow testing. MEDITEQ is for the quality control of medical devices such as catheters, syringes, bags, tubing, filters, couplings, IV sets, artificial valves, regulators, and sealed packages.
ATEQ Corp. Booth 877 42040 Koppernick Rd. Canton, MI 48187

Connectors

The Redel Series of disposable connectors feature contact arrangements of 4, 10, and 14 contacts and are targeted for catheter applications. Connectors are available with a lightweight, plastic outer shell and metallic inner shell. This allows patient isolation from any electrical contact while providing electrical shielding. PSU and POM materials are available for gas-sterilization applications, and PEI and PEEK are available for autoclave applications. The 14-pin, right-angled PC-board receptacle features a contact density of 14 to allow mating with a 12-mm-diameter plug.
Lemo USA Inc. Booth 1359 Box 11488 Santa Rosa, CA 95406

Silicone tubing

Reinforced silicone tubing is for medical device applications requiring kink and notch resistance. The tubing features a wire, fabric, or plastic-reinforcing member encapsulated within its wall, creating a resistance to kinking, crushing, and notching. The tubing can be bent around a tight radius without occluding, enhancing the mechanical strength for silicone tubing uses ranging from esophageal to cardiac catheters.
Vesta Inc. Booth 744 5400 West Franklin Dr. Franklin, WI 53132 FAX (414) 423-0562

Forging blanks

Hip-stem forging blanks include the 6AL-4V titanium, low-oxygen ELI grade, available in bar in diameters from 1/4 to 3 inches. Other titanium grades including nickel alloys and stainless steel are also available in bar. In addition to bar and plate, sheet grades for instrument parts, pacemakers, and other implantables are also available.
Ulbrich Stainless Steels Booth 1874 57 Dodge Ave. North Haven, CT 06742

Adhesive

PRISM® 4206 is a rubber-toughened instant adhesive for medical-device assembly applications. This low-viscosity (300 cPs) adhesive achieves fixture strength within 20 seconds and delivers high-impact and peel strength on hard-to-bond surfaces such as lightweight devices, metal, plastics, and elastomers. PRISM 4206 withstands continuous exposure to temperatures up to 250F. The adhesive can be dispensed manually or with semi- or fully automatic dispensing equipment.
Loctite Corp. Booth 846 1001 Trout Brook Crossing Rocky Hill, CT 06067 FAX (860) 571-5465

Medical tapes

Bioflex^TM 647 and 648 are breathable, self-wound medical-grade adhesive tapes for securing IVs and other medical tubing directly onto a patient's skin. They consist of a surgical-tape base paper-coated on one side with a medical-grade acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive.
Scapa Tapes Booth 0516 11 Great Pond Dr.Windsor, CT 06095 FAX (860) 688-7000

Prototyping system

FDM® 2000 rapid-prototyping system incorporates the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process that creates a 3-D ABS, wax, or polyester compound model directly from all 3-D CAD files. It can build models up to 254mm³ within ±0.127 mm accuracy and in a variety of materials, including ABS, medical-grade ABS, and investment-casting wax.
Stratasys Inc. Booth 507 14950 Martin Dr. Eden Prairie, MN 55344 FAX (612) 937-0070

Microstepping driver

IM481H hybrid microstepping driver measures 1.1 × 2.7 × 0.17. Features include short-circuit and thermal protection and adjustable automatic current reduction at full-step and fault outputs. The IM481H has 14 built-in microstep resolutions from 400 to 51,200 steps/revolution in binary and decimal that can be changed at any time without resetting the driver.
Intelligent Motion Systems Inc. Booth 1562 370 N. Main St. Marlborough, CT 06447

Filter/seal

Filterseal^TM combines the function of a mesh screen with the sealing performance of an elastomer to function as a seal and filter in one. By molding the elastomer seal to a component, tighter tolerances are created and tolerance stack up is eliminated.