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Medical EquipmentHexagonal shapes
A microscope and test tubes

Medical Equipment

Medical therapeutics and diagnostics is a hotbed of innovation.

Here, companies with proprietary core technology tap the expertise of our Motion Solutions team to engineer medical devices and robotic equipment that can improve patient outcomes and save lives. We work with organizations at a variety of levels, depending upon their needs. In some cases, we collaborate closely, meeting on a weekly basis to share design advances, test results, and prototypes. In others, we may re-engineer an existing product to boost manufacturability or decrease costs. Our focus with our medical device engineering is always on addressing client needs, providing the services and expertise that will help them most quickly achieve their goals.

Sample Positioner for Laboratory Instrument

Featured Solution

Positioning Gantry for Surgical Equipment

Our engineering staff redesigned this three axes, XYZ positioning gantry with a custom high stiffness mounting structure and 0.103” deflection under a 100-lb load. The new design was a lighter and stronger solution that reduced the weight of the previous design by four pounds and allowed the OEM to expand its market.

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Proven Solutions

Microtomes, precision devices for thin sectioning tissue samples, play a crucial role in biopsies. They produce 5 µm to 30 µm thick slices of tissues ranging from skin to cartilage to bone. Over the past 15 years, our medical device engineering and robotics experts have built an array of microtomes. One of the things we’ve discovered is that the devices need to be extremely rigid in order to avoid introducing ridges or waves in the tissue sample that might create image artifacts. By starting with linear guides based on crossed-roller bearings and optimizing the structure for maximum stiffness, we have developed a baseline microtome design. This starting point makes the process both faster and less expensive for the customer.

The design of automated patient beds helps showcase our safety skills when engineering medical devices. A typical multi-axis patient bed includes many places where the hands or feet of a patient or caregiver could potentially get trapped and injured. We mitigate these risks with redundant safety measures. The system monitors the drive current to disengage in the event of a spike. We also include mechanical limits whereby if the drive forces get too high, the motion assembly will automatically disengage. At this point, the design features both electrical and mechanical safety measures. Good bed design also includes redundant feedback devices on all axes and dual-button control systems to prevent unintended motion.


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