MEDICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY FOCUS MEDICAL EQUIPMENT DESIGN


all adds up to a higher standard of safety and care based on continuous data and analysis.


UI THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Development of new medical equipment and platforms typically starts with a full review of the existing production process. Manufacturing specialists review the details of current operations, identifying process bottlenecks in assembly and testing. When it comes to patient treatment and care,


the user interface itself can often benefit from the same radical rethink. Touch screens are a popular, reliable and versatile user interface for medical and other instruments, and are also much easier to seal to allow ‘deep cleaning’ with aggressive anti-viral and anti-bacterial agents. Nevertheless, there is a new desire to limit the risk of viral spread by separating the carer’s UI from the equipment or sensor attached to the patient. Here, instruments need to be redesigned with a touchless two- way communication from a smartphone, tablet or other device allocated to the carer. Moreover, the interface can be operated behind physical barriers. Gesture and voice recognition are other options that will further


impede transfer of infection from user to user. Finally, a new level of robustness needs to be


built into these new designs. Medical equipment and devices, which reduce infection through physical distancing as well as utilising novel ‘hands-off’ interfaces, will be worked hard, even as the coronavirus crisis subsides. The expected operational demands on medical equipment (run hours, longevity, etc.) have increased significantly and need to be addressed.


PRIORITY SUPPORT These processes will take time but, right now, rethinking the way in which medical instruments are designed, manufactured and maintained cannot wait. Fortunately, the industry is rallying round to support these new players, as well as bringing better practise to established old hands. One successful approach is the formation of a


COVID-19 task force that coordinates, prioritises and allocates available inventory and applications engineering resources. This is already supporting customers who are designing or manufacturing ventilators and other vital medical equipment to combat the COVID-19 emergency. Projects that need priority go beyond the ventilators themselves. Electronics distributors


such as Anglia have customers involved in manufacturing critical systems which guarantee power to this vital medical equipment. The support has been strengthened and extended to help companies get critical medical equipment out to hospitals and surgeries quickly. This fast-track service is resourced with a dedicated team to ensure support for customers manufacturing medical, industrial, environmental and other instruments.


Anglia Components www.anglia.com


Personal devices like tablets will become part of instrument UIs


VFDs specified for new fully automated surgical face mask production line


W


ithin weeks of the Coronavirus pandemic striking the country, DBA


Robot, an Italian automation and robotics company, designed and manufactured one of the first automatic lines for the production of surgical face masks. The aim was to produce over 100,000 masks per day. For this, the company selected Optidrive P2 variable frequency drives from Invertek. The new production line was designed


within just two weeks, with the first one constructed for testing within three weeks. Andrea Andreula, area manager at DBA Robot, said: “Critical to the


process was accurate and reliable motor control to transport the mask through the line’s modules. From the initial calendaring module that created the surgical template and inserts the nasal wire, to the next two modules that weld the elastics, with up to four layers of non-woven fabric capable of being managed. “The precision and stability in the movements throughout the process


using the Optidrive P2 were fundamental in producing the final product.” According to Enrico Rebuffi of Invertek Drives Italy, the P2’s accurate


vector speed control allowed the VFD to reach exceptional dynamic and torque performances. “The precision and regularity even in open loop, to the Safe Torque Off (STO) for a safe stop, meant DBA Robot could use the drive for both calendaring and for all other motorised movements in the process,” he said. A packaging station and automatic print and labelling were also added to the line, providing a fully automated production system for


/ DESIGNSOLUTIONS


the surgical face masks. Offering high performance, the P2


range features Safe Torque Off (STO) functionality as standard and is available in an IP20 enclosure up to 250kW, IP55 up to 200kW and the outdoor rated IP66/NEMA 4X with capability up to 30kW. Power ratings range from 0.75kW – 250kW, 1HP – 350HP, 220V – 300V in single and 3 Phase depending on the model


specification. Modbus and CAN are standard, and these also feature 14 basic parameters for rapid set up and intuitive keypad control. This year, a high-definition TFT display was also introduced as standard on the panel-mounted P2 IP20 frame sizes 2 and 3. Rebuffi commented: “We ensured the drives could be delivered and


commissioned as quickly as possible, aware of the importance of mask production at that time in Italy and globally. The choice of the Optidrive P2, due to the high dynamic performance, is further confirmation of the strength of a drive that combines simplicity and high performance.” Having prioritised the manufacture and distribution of VFDs for


medical device and product manufacturers throughout the global pandemic, Invertek’s Optidrive VFDs have been used for a range of applications – from ventilation systems for hospitals and medical bases, to OEMs involved in the manufacture of systems for medical device manufacturers, such as DBA Robot.


Invertek Drives www.invertekdrives.com DESIGN SOLUTIONS | JULY/AUGUST 2020 29


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