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Bal Seal Engineering https://www.balseal.com Custom components that drive tomorrow's technologies. Thu, 30 May 2024 20:41:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://www.balseal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/apple-touch-icon-80x80.png Bal Seal Engineering https://www.balseal.com 32 32 Canted Coil Springs: The Most Versatile Medical Device Connector https://www.balseal.com/medical-device-connector/ Thu, 30 May 2024 19:46:59 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/benefits-of-the-spring/ When designing orthopedic and medical devices, engineers often encounter the same basic challenge: they need to connect two mating surfaces in a repeatable, predictable fashion. While this may sound like a straight-forward task, there are hundreds of ways to accomplish it. Among the traditional fastening methodologies are: ball detents snap rings molded c-clamps quick connects O-rings Most of these are […]

The post Canted Coil Springs: The Most Versatile Medical Device Connector appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> When designing orthopedic and medical devices, engineers often encounter the same basic challenge: they need to connect two mating surfaces in a repeatable, predictable fashion.

While this may sound like a straight-forward task, there are hundreds of ways to accomplish it. Among the traditional fastening methodologies are:

  • ball detents
  • snap rings
  • molded c-clamps
  • quick connects
  • O-rings

Most of these are relatively inexpensive, off-the-shelf solutions with varying life cycles, and for the most part, they work well for quick connect/disconnect applications.

However, variability is common in these standard fastening solutions, and their inherently wide tolerances can lead to poor device performance and reliability issues. Additionally, they often fall short of satisfying the unique requirements (i.e., biocompatibility, cleanability and insertion/breakaway force accuracy) of the medical industry.

Designers know that targeting cycle life, ability to withstand autoclaving, and retention of original insertion and breakaway forces are all critically important in medical device applications. But these qualities aren’t always easy to come by in a fastener.

These factors have led a growing number of device manufacturers to choose another method for reliable, repeatable fastening: the canted coil spring. In many advanced medical applications, this spring is being used to perform a variety of functions and, most importantly, to meet and maintain strict insertion and breakaway force specifications.

Canted Coil Springs: The Most Versatile Medical Device Connector

canted coil spring used as a medical device connector

Invented more than 50 years ago, the canted coil spring consists of wire (in various materials, gauges and surface treatments) that has been precision coiled and resistance welded to a specific diameter. It’s a deceptively simple component with a lot of science behind it – and it just may be the ideal solution to your next medical device fastening challenge.

Canted coil springs are extremely versatile. They can be designed to perform major functions such as:

  • Latching
  • Locking
  • Holding
  • Electrical Contact/EMI Shielding & Grounding

Below, we’ll take a look at some medical device and surgical instrumentation applications in which these various spring functions can be employed.

Latching

The majority of medical grade canted coil springs are used in latching applications to fasten two components together on a device in accordance with the force requirements specified by the designer.

Surgical instrumentation design is trending more towards custom products for specific surgeons, and the spring makes this even easier for engineers because it enables them to tailor the instrument to the surgeon’s specific needs.

Locking

As a locking component, the canted coil spring has the potential to offer game-changing technology in the orthopedic surgical implant world.

It can lock any two pieces together during surgery using minimal force, eliminating the need for hammers and other surgical tooling, and freeing up the surgeon’s hands to conduct the surgery in a more efficient manner.

This efficiency can translate to shorter surgical procedures, and it can also reduce the patient’s exposure to multiple tools, which are sources of potential infection.

Holding

Holding canted coil springs are most often designed into surgical instrumentation.

Drill guides, sleeves or any other sliding components that require a specific amount of sliding force can incorporate a spring. The drag force can be specified during the design process, and it requires consideration of the housing dimensions, tolerances and surface finishes.

In some cases, the spring can also be customized to fit existing hardware, depending on force requirements. Their holding function can also be combined with latching in any given application.  The spring can drag across a surface until it reaches a latching point.  The drag force as well as the insertion and removal force can be specified for the spring.

Electrical Contact/EMI Shielding & Grounding

For years, medical device OEMs have been feeling the pressure to reduce package sizes while improving performance and reliability.

It’s no coincidence that many of these device makers have embraced the spring as an efficient means to connect and conduct electricity.

It can be used to provide electrical contact to sensors and other devices, and it performs extremely well in grounding or shielding applications for long periods inside or outside the body. In these types of applications, the spring can be used alone or in a metal housing made from MP35N or Platinum Iridium.

Choosing the Right Medical Device Connector

The canted coil spring won’t be the answer to every medical device design challenge. In fact, there may be many instances in which the variability of more traditional fastening methods will be within acceptable limits for the application at hand. But for engineers who want to advance technology and gain an added level of customization and performance from their design, the simple spring offers a proven, versatile alternative.

 

The post Canted Coil Springs: The Most Versatile Medical Device Connector appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> High Pressure Pump Design Considerations https://www.balseal.com/high-pressure-pump-design Wed, 29 May 2024 18:05:27 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/breaking-the-barrier/ This article will advise on high pressure liquid chromatography pump design considerations that can help engineers meet industry pressure demands of 20 000psi and above. Challenges of Designing a High Pressure Pump For the past three decades designers of critical liquid chromatography (LC) pumps have been witnessing a steady increase in demand for machines that can handle higher pressures. Driving […]

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]]> This article will advise on high pressure liquid chromatography pump design considerations that can help engineers meet industry pressure demands of 20 000psi and above.

Challenges of Designing a High Pressure Pump

For the past three decades designers of critical liquid chromatography (LC) pumps have been witnessing a steady increase in demand for machines that can handle higher pressures.

Driving this demand are end users who say they need higher pressure to achieve better sample resolution and higher throughput rates, and manufacturers (keen to satisfy users’ needs) who are asking engineers to build in more pressure capacity with the goal of launching the most competitive, cutting-edge technology.

By working with their seal suppliers, engineers have been able to meet this growing demand, and the increasing pressures have served to propel instrument technology and performance improvements of nearly 1900% since the mid-1970s. As a result, countless life-improving drugs and diagnostic processes have been developed.

But over the past two or three years a new problem has emerged. The race for higher pressures has outpaced the industry’s ability to solve the complex challenges of generating and maintaining them.

Today, high pressure pump engineers face the formidable task of achieving reliable, consistent operation at 20 000 psi and above. And because of limitations in material capabilities and current pump designs, they can no longer rely solely on a seal to get them there.

To shatter the 20 000-psi barrier, engineers will first have to break from the “rut” of traditional design approaches and sealing technology, and adopt a more holistic perspective that may include hardware design changes. If they do not, they may find it increasingly difficult to tell the difference between a rut and the “grave” prospect of significant market-share loss.

High Pressure Pump Design Considerations

While the increasing pressures of LC have never been a simple challenge, the new requirements have stretched existing technology to its limits. It is becoming clear that the industry can no longer expect to reach its pressure goals by focusing only on seal designs or materials.

Engineers should consider changes that will enable the pairing of pump and seal to break the 20-kpsi barrier.

Some major factors to consider when designing an LC pump include:

  • Shaft diameter, material, and surface finish
  • Drive mechanism/ linkage
  • Heat dissipation
  • Plunger guidance
  • Media viscosity
  • Stroke length
  • Peripheral components
  • Seal installation
  • Failure criteria
  • Test criteria

Below, we’ll discuss these design considerations in further detail.

Shaft Diameter, Material, and Surface Finish

When sealing for ultra-high pressures, the primary requirement is meeting accurate flow rates. This goal is what drives the plunger diameter, stroke length and speed. This is an area where sealing and pump operating requirements will compete. There is a very fine line for best sealing and plunger reactions when building cylinder pressure.

One major cause of early seal leakage is mechanical plunger side-loading. This happens when the plunger movement transfers its load against the seal’s inside sealing surface. To avoid this, we recommend a design that enables the plunger ferrule, linked to the drive system, to provide optimal alignment. In time, side-loading will prematurely wear the seal material and increase the inside sealing diameter. Shortening the stroke will not always reduce side loading if the plunger is not aligned in the linkage properly.

Plunger size also plays an important role in seal life, performance, and response to rapid pressure changes.

Smaller plungers experience lower loads at ultra-high pressures, but the seal also must be small, and must be capable of withstanding the pressure. This leads to limited flexibility, especially during aspiration (vacuum) and/or transition to the pressure stroke.

Maintaining some flexibility is important in order to ensure proper sealing contact stress along the entire stroke.

For a plunger material we recommend sapphire, a mono-crystalline material. It is the optimal choice for contact with thermoplastic seal material, because it allows for a better surface finish and hardness.

This is critical when you are trying to meet leakage rates in micro-liters or nano-liters. The adhesion factors of a soft thermoplastic and very hard sapphire material will minimize this condition.

Zirconium ceramic (TZP) has emerged as the material of choice for some low to moderate pressure LC pumps. Although its hardness is similar to that of sapphire, its variability can present challenges when applied in HPLC. It is available in many different types, and each type varies in grade, grain, physical structure and size, which can affect stability.

Recommendations:

  • Specify extremely smooth surface finishes (less than 1 Ra).
  • Specify hardness greater than 70 Rc.
  • Choose pure sapphire plungers.
  • Design a plunger with a diameter of less than 2.1 mm (0.082 inch).

Drive Mechanism/Linkage

When designing the drive mechanism, it is crucial to consider how the plunger will be attached and to compensate for pulsation during the pumping operation.

The speed and stroke length will vary plunger-side loading, which can cause premature wear on the seal.

Synchronization of the pump linkage is also critical, as the winner in the battle between variable speed and pulsation will be determined by the drive mechanism. Synchronization becomes a concern only if the plunger’s return spring is insufficient because of seal friction.

Recommendations:

  • Design a sufficient drive system to compensate for seal friction.
  • Ensure precise attachment between the plunger ferrule to plunger mount – allow to float (for centering purposes) as well as firmly withstand any vertical and or horizontal movements (also see box ‘The perfect piston?’).
  • Include a strong plunger return mechanism to compensate for seal friction during the aspiration stroke.

Heat Dissipation

Friction heat created under pressure can dramatically affect sealing performance. Therefore, we recommend that pump designers keep dissipation in mind.

Pressure created in the forward stroke, or by the seal and its energizer, can cause sealing contact stress to the plunger surface. Extreme effects occur in the forward stroke under ultra-high pressure, and in that moment the sealing contact stress is so great that seal material shear stress is overtaken, causing wear or shedding.

As a result, material can sometimes be seen in the frit (inline fluid debris filter), the tubing or even around the seal energizer.

Recommendations:

  • Use an active wash system.
  • Maintain a service pressure/velocity (PV) within seal material limits.
  • Specify an ultra-smooth plunger surface finish (less than 1 Ra).

Plunger Guidance

A major mechanical disadvantage to high-pressure sealing is plunger side-loading. This off-axis travel of the plunger under the forward stroke physically changes the seal’s inside form, and can lead to catastrophic failure.

Historically, LC pumps were designed with a large plunger-size to long stroke-length ratio (for instance, 3:1).

With the advent of ultra-high pressure pumps these plungers caused early seal and back-up support failure. A solid linkage type and/or plunger size to stroke, which is closer to 1:1, should be used in order for the seal back-up to absorb some of the remaining micro-side load.

We recommend using a solid linkage. It is important to keep it concentric to the wash body and pump head.

Recommendations:

  • Ensure tight concentric guidance exists between the wash body and pump head (less than 0.05 mm).
  • Use a high modulus back-up support ring.
  • Use a high modulus guide ring.

Media Viscosity

Currently, most pumps are designed to handle all media types — from low viscosity co-solvents, such as methanol, to high viscosity media, such as disodium phosphate buffers, and everything else in between. Pumps are not typically designed to perform optimally under any given media, as during testing and approval most only experience co-solvents.

Seals perform better in low viscosity media, so engineers may expect different results when using higher viscosities. Degassing apertures can also play a key role in the efficiency of very small diameter plunger seals.

Any trapped air starting within the seal-bore area and travelling downstream towards the flow restrictor will affect pump pressure readings.

Recommendations:

  • Manage sealing contact stress by using low viscosity media.
  • Expect variable contact stress when using high-viscosity media.

Stroke Length

Stroke length should be minimized and well-guided to ensure the plunger is concentric to the wash body and pump head bore throughout the pressure and aspiration stroke.

This is especially important during the pressure stroke when the plunger is most prone to side-load the seal back-up and wash body seal.

When shortening the stroke length to meet a desired flow rate, the plunger speed must increase. This, in turn, increases the system PV.

To maintain long seal life, we recommend keeping system PV within the limits of the seal material PV.

Recommendations:

  • Use a design with a 1:1 ratio plunger diameter to stroke length.
  • Ensure a strong supporting linkage exists between the plunger ferrule and drive.
  • Align the system PV with the seal material PV limit.

Peripheral Components

It is important to consider the effects of peripheral hardware. For example, check valves, columns, fittings and tubing during system testing for sealing performance, as these elements can cause false positives during testing.

Check valves not rated for proper pressure, weak tubing connections, underrated columns and/or pressure restrictors are just a few potential causes.

Verifying fittings and tubing requirements carefully, as start-up leaks typically originate in peripheral components.

Recommendations:

  • Ask your vendor to pre-cut tubes – do not cut them yourself.
  • Use proper tools to attach fittings, with proper torque values, or delegate this task to service professionals.
  • Use a proper rated column and flow restrictor to test pressure characteristics.

Seal Installation

By setting and following an established seal installation process engineers can avoid seal damage and ensure proper seal alignment inside the pump head.

This is critical because start-up failures and leaks can result from improper installation/seating of the seal in the housing.

Recommendations:

  • Use approved installation tools.
  • Verify seal position and integrity.

Failure Criteria

Understanding how much leakage is occurring and where potential leaks could originate is most crucial to establishing failure criteria for pump heads, check valves, fittings, pressure transducers, the wash body, sensors and tubing, among other areas/

It is difficult to discern cause when you are working with firmware, multiple conditions (exceeding 10) and hardware combinations.

Often, what was initially identified as a seal failure turns out to be a false positive or negative.

Recommendations:

  • Establish multiple failure conditions for each media type — as well as for each flow rate or speed.
  • Establish leakage by sensors, volumetric changes and pressure drop programmatically, and minimize manual data collection.

Test Criteria

There are many ways to establish and correlate test criteria that simulate field conditions.

An accelerated test to determine overall pump performance will not necessarily represent actual field use, but it may induce plunger behavior that will shorten seal life through side-loading or increased frictional heat.

Also, establishing back pressure to simulate normal pump runs through a column will skew performance requirements.

Recommendations:

  • Use capillary tubing for back pressure.
  • Avoid needle valves – they typically fail or create false negative and positive above 10 kpsi.
  • Test with a column, if it is possible, though it may be hard to find anything rated above 17.5 kpsi.

High Pressure Pump Design Consultation

The sealing professionals at Bal Seal Engineering can participate in the pump development process as your innovation partners. If you’d like to consult with one of our engineers about elevating your pump design to operate at higher pressures, click here to submit a design request form.

The post High Pressure Pump Design Considerations appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Surgical Tool Seal Design https://www.balseal.com/surgical-tool-seal-design/ Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:04:33 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=50809 Enhancing Precision: The Critical Role of Effective Sealing in Powered Surgical Tools In the high-stakes world of surgery, precision and reliability are paramount. Imagine a surgeon delicately performing a procedure with a powered surgical tool—a scene where every movement, every incision, can be a matter of life and death. From electric drills to ultrasonic scalpels, powered surgical tools have revolutionized […]

The post Surgical Tool Seal Design appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Enhancing Precision: The Critical Role of Effective Sealing in Powered Surgical Tools

In the high-stakes world of surgery, precision and reliability are paramount. Imagine a surgeon delicately performing a procedure with a powered surgical tool—a scene where every movement, every incision, can be a matter of life and death. From electric drills to ultrasonic scalpels, powered surgical tools have revolutionized modern medicine, enabling faster procedures and finer incisions. However, behind their sleek exteriors lies a complex network of components, each playing a vital role in ensuring consistent, reliable operation. Among these components, seals are unsung heroes, quietly ensuring the integrity and functionality of these life-saving instruments.

 

infographic imageinfographic image

 

A Variety of Surgical Tool Types

Powered surgical tools encompass a wide array of devices, each tailored to specific procedures and surgical specialties. From bone saws to electrosurgical units, these tools serve diverse purposes, ranging from precise bone cutting to tissue cauterization. Their consistent, reliable operation is crucial in the operating room, where even the slightest malfunction can have serious consequences. Surgeons rely on these tools to execute intricate maneuvers with utmost accuracy, making seamless performance a non-negotiable requirement.

Seal Function in Powered Surgical Tools

Enter the seal—a seemingly minor component with major implications for powered surgical tools. Seals serve as barriers, preventing fluid or gas leakage and ensuring the integrity of the tool’s internal mechanisms, safeguarding against contamination and preserving optimal performance.

While a wide range of seal materials and designs exist, spring-energized PTFE seals have emerged as a popular choice for applications of this kind. These seals exhibit properties that make them uniquely suited to the demanding environment of powered surgical tools. Unlike traditional seals, which may degrade under the extreme conditions encountered in surgery, spring-energized PTFE seals offer superior resilience, chemical inertness, and temperature tolerance.

Seal Performance in High Speeds

Speed is a key consideration in surgical procedures, where efficiency can significantly impact patient outcomes. Powered surgical tools operate at high speeds to expedite procedures and minimize surgical trauma. Spring-energized PTFE seals excel in high-speed applications, balancing sealing effectiveness with low friction properties that can even help reduce motor strain and improve battery life.

Seals Help Beat the Heat

Temperature management is another critical aspect of surgical tool design. During operation, powered surgical tools can generate heat that can compromise the integrity of traditional seals and make operation uncomfortable for the surgeon. Spring-energized PTFE seals exhibit exceptional temperature resistance, and their low coefficient of friction can help prevent excessive heat buildup.

Standing Up to Sterilization

Hygiene is non-negotiable in the medical field, necessitating thorough reprocessing and sterilization of surgical instruments after each use. Spring-energized PTFE seals withstand harsh cleaning agents and sterilization methods, maintaining their sealing properties even after repeated exposure.

In conclusion, effective sealing is essential for ensuring the reliability and performance of powered surgical tools. Spring-energized PTFE seals offer unparalleled resilience, chemical inertness, and temperature tolerance, making them the seal of choice for critical medical applications. By incorporating these seals into their designs, tool designers can address the operating requirements of speed, temperature, and sterilization, ensuring optimal performance and patient safety in the operating room.

 

The post Surgical Tool Seal Design appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Medical Electrical Connectors in Neuromodulation Devices https://www.balseal.com/medical-electrical-connectors-video Sat, 06 Apr 2024 00:15:30 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=27535 In neuromodulation devices, the role of electrical connectors is critical. These tiny components serve as the interface between the device and lead, facilitating the transmission of electrical signals and the delivery of effective and reliable therapeutic interventions. As device designers navigate the intricate landscape of neuromodulation, careful consideration of criteria for selecting electrical connectors becomes imperative. In this blog and […]

The post Medical Electrical Connectors in Neuromodulation Devices appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> In neuromodulation devices, the role of electrical connectors is critical. These tiny components serve as the interface between the device and lead, facilitating the transmission of electrical signals and the delivery of effective and reliable therapeutic interventions.

As device designers navigate the intricate landscape of neuromodulation, careful consideration of criteria for selecting electrical connectors becomes imperative.

In this blog and accompanying video, we take a deeper dive into how medical electrical connectors can be leveraged to advance neuro device design, as well as the benefits of systems – like our SYGNUS – that combine connectors and implantable-grade medical seals in a turnkey package.

Function of Medical Electrical Connectors

Regardless of their form factor and construction, medical electrical connectors are relied upon to perform two basic functions.

  1. Signal Transmission: Electrical connectors are the conduits through which therapeutic signals travel from the neuromodulation device, through the lead to targeted neural circuits. The efficiency and integrity of signal transmission directly influences the device’s ability to modulate neural activity.
  2. Mechanical Connection: Despite being primarily electrical components, connectors also serve as a means to mechanically connect a lead to a device. In device headers and inline systems, that connection requires a very low level of mechanical force – enough to retain the lead while it is secured with additional hardware (a set screw) during surgery, but not so much that it makes lead insertion difficult.

Criteria for Selecting Medical Device Electrical Connectors

Here are some factors to consider when you’re evaluating connectors for your neuro device design.

  • Material Selection: Ensuring that medical electrical connectors are made from biocompatible materials is paramount. Choose materials with proven biocompatibility, such as medical-grade metals like platinum, platinum-iridium or titanium. This minimizes the risk of adverse patient reaction, and promotes the long-term stability of the device within the body.
  • Precision and Size: Select connectors with a design that facilitates the smallest possible device form factor without compromising functionality. Medical device electrical connectors should offer minimum pitch to conserve valuable real estate in the header, and should allow for serial integration to accommodate multi-channel devices.
  • Durability: Neuromodulation devices operate in challenging physiological environments. connectors must be durable, resisting corrosion and wear to maintain functionality over an extended period.

Implantable Connector System: Streamlining Device Design and Market Entry

Consideration of an implantable connector system, incorporating electrical contacts and medical-grade silicone seals, presents a compelling solution for device designers.

This approach eliminates the need for internal component development, expediting the design process and improving speed to market.

The advantages of implantable connector systems include:

  • Reduced Development Complexity: Leveraging pre-engineered implantable connector systems streamlines the design process, allowing designers to focus on optimizing therapeutic outcomes rather than internal components.
  • Faster Time to Market: By adopting pre-validated implantable connector systems, device designers can significantly reduce development timelines, meeting the growing demand for rapid innovation in neuromodulation.
  • Enhanced Device Functionality: Implantable connector systems often contribute to the creation of smaller, more functional devices, meeting the evolving needs of both patients and healthcare providers.

In conclusion, understanding the critical function of medical electrical connectors and applying rigorous criteria for their selection is fundamental to the success of neuromodulation device design.

The option of implantable connector systems not only addresses these criteria but also accelerates the path to market, ultimately driving advancements in the field of neuromodulation.

The post Medical Electrical Connectors in Neuromodulation Devices appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> UAV Gimbal Design: How to Minimize Friction https://www.balseal.com/uav-gimbal-design/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:57:34 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/uav-gimbal-designs-demand-attention-to-friction/ The market for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also commonly referred to as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), has seen major growth over the past decade. As a critical element of defense, UAV and UAS systems place a high priority on reliability. Ensuring that reliability means that critical factors such as friction and leakage are addressed in the design of the […]

The post UAV Gimbal Design: How to Minimize Friction appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> The market for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also commonly referred to as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), has seen major growth over the past decade.

As a critical element of defense, UAV and UAS systems place a high priority on reliability. Ensuring that reliability means that critical factors such as friction and leakage are addressed in the design of the UAV.

These are becoming even more important as systems continue to shrink. This places a greater emphasis on the need to avoid friction in the sealing of the gimbals, or pods, that cover and protect sensitive onboard electronics.

The Importance of Minimizing Friction in UAV Gimbals

Manufacturers are beginning to recognize that achieving a low dynamic coefficient of friction is a key driver of UAV gimbal design.

Particularly in the design of small systems, seals are close to the “ragged edge” of frictional cut-offs. As a result, manufacturers are now designing their systems with the seal in mind. The system must be designed around those cut-offs in order to achieve an ideal level of friction.

Often, O-rings are specified for use in gimbal design. But because these seals are made of rubber, they can produce stiction, or static friction.

An effective alternative to the problems presented by the O-ring is a spring-energized seal. With this kind of seal, polymers can be combined to achieve consistently high lubricity.

Together with a geometry that reduces the amount of torque necessary to move a gimbal without sacrificing sealability, the low-friction material formulation can reduce or eliminate stiction force and any resulting jitter during target tracking. Because the seal is preventing friction, it is also preventing wear.

It is important to note that sealing ability and long life are inversely proportional. Because in order to achieve a better seal, designers must typically create more surface contact. This will increase friction and increase wear.

How to Optimize UAV Gimbal Design

To optimize the performance of an UAV gimbal, it’s essential to find the sweet spot where there is a balance of low friction, wear, and leakage.

This can be done by partnering with a seal supplier that understands the interplay between application requirements, seal material, and design.

To create our low-friction spring-energized seal for UAV gimbal applications, the engineers at Bal Seal Engineering:

  • combine a filled PTFE material with our canted coil spring technology
  • design the cross section to accommodate a light, medium, or heavy spring load
  • engineer variability into the flare on the energized lip seal, giving it more surface contact for sealing or less contact for lower friction

UAVs and their gimbals are critical to the shift in defense systems. These systems must operate at an optimal level, which means that critical characteristics—including friction, leakage, and life of seals—cannot be an afterthought. They must be an integral part of the UAV design.

To learn more about how we can help you elevate your UAV gimbal seal application, click here submit a design request form.

The post UAV Gimbal Design: How to Minimize Friction appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Seal Design Tips https://www.balseal.com/clinical-chemistry-analyzer-seal-design/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 22:32:17 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=27474 The Bal Seal® spring-energized seal provides superior sealing performance in a range of pressures, temperatures, and media. This is ideal when designing a pump for clinical chemistry analyzers because it will prevent leaking and prolong service life. Check out the infographic below to learn about potential issues you may face when designing a clinical chemistry analyzer and how to prevent […]

The post Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Seal Design Tips appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> The Bal Seal® spring-energized seal provides superior sealing performance in a range of pressures, temperatures, and media. This is ideal when designing a pump for clinical chemistry analyzers because it will prevent leaking and prolong service life.

Check out the infographic below to learn about potential issues you may face when designing a clinical chemistry analyzer and how to prevent them.

seal to prevent leaks in chemistry analyzer infographic with tips to prevent leaks in clinical chemistry analyzer by optimizing seal design

Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Complications

Clinical chemistry analyzers are involved in performing a wide variety of testing. For example, they can be used in analyzing blood, urine, and even genetics.

Their failure can cause inaccurate results, lab downtime, and lost profit. Therefore, it’s essential to be aware of potential complications and address them appropriately.

One major complication related to clinical chemistry analyzers is the formation of salt crystals. This occurs when seals aren’t optimized, which causes wear and leakage of the saline-based reagent.

In the following section, we’ll discuss design tips to provide superior protection against leakage and clinical analyzer breakdown.

Design Tips for Successful Chemistry Analyzer Sealing

To minimize the risk of leaking and prolong the life of your clinical analyzer, it’s essential to optimize the design of your seal.

Some important factors to keep in mind when designing an effective seal for a clinical analyzer include:

  • Polymer backup to reduce extrusion, tighten tolerances, and prevent misalignment
  • Lip geometry that will prevent leaks
  • Bio-inert energizer with low friction
  • FDA compliant seal jacket with low particle generation to minimize contamination

Additionally, tightening housing tolerances and reducing piston misalignment can also help protect against leakage.

Optimize Seal Design with Bal Seal Engineering

If you’re interested in getting more performance and service life out of your clinical analyzer, the sealing experts at Bal Seal Engineering can help!

Click here to submit a design request form and elevate your new or existing seal design.

The post Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Seal Design Tips appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Seals for Clinical Chemistry Analyzers: How to Prevent Leaking https://www.balseal.com/seals-for-clinical-chemistry-analyzer-pumps/ Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:59:41 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=27537 Designing clinical chemistry analyzers that deliver consistent, long-term service, efficiency, and accuracy is one tough job. But choosing the right seal can make it a lot easier. That’s why we’ve prepared the short presentation below. It examines the relationship between seal selection and the performance of hematology, urinalysis, and other analyzer types. Additionally, it addresses important design criteria and suggests […]

The post Seals for Clinical Chemistry Analyzers: How to Prevent Leaking appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Designing clinical chemistry analyzers that deliver consistent, long-term service, efficiency, and accuracy is one tough job. But choosing the right seal can make it a lot easier.

That’s why we’ve prepared the short presentation below. It examines the relationship between seal selection and the performance of hematology, urinalysis, and other analyzer types. Additionally, it addresses important design criteria and suggests some ways to avoid common sealing mistakes that may be costing you time, money, and market share.

Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Design Challenges

When designing a clinical analyzer, it’s essential to make sure that your application does not leak. Hardware misalignment creates more wear on one side of the seal, resulting in rapid leakage. Leaking can be costly, so it helps to be proactive and make sure your design is leakproof from the start.

Other major design challenges that should be considered when designing a clinical analyzer include:

  • Seal life: Housing without surface treatment results in rapid wear which reduces seal life.
  • Crystallization: Hardware misalignment, large hardware tolerances, and marginal seal designs allow reagent or saline to weep under the seal inner diameter lip, which allows salt crystals to form. The dynamic seal lip will reciprocate over the crystals, which result in scratches on the inner diameter of the seal. Over time, these scratches become leak paths, causing inaccurate dispensing of reagent.

How to Prevent Chemistry Analyzer Leaks with Seals

Seal design plays a major role in preventing reagent from leaking behind the seal. Seal failure can adversely impact pump accuracy, precision, and linearity.

Therefore, seal designs for diagnostic analyzers must:

  • Mediate friction and sealing effectiveness to guard against salty reagent leakage
  • Consistently maintain reagent pressure for 1,000,000+ cycles
  • Prevent salt crystals from forming behind the seal to prolong seal life
  • Minimize particle generation shedding to reduce process contamination
  • Have low speed reciprocation
  • Have low friction
  • Utilize FDA compliant materials for biocompatibility

To eliminate costly mistakes and delays when designing a pump for your diagnostic analyzer, consider sealing requirements as a major factor in overall design.

The sealing experts at Bal Seal Engineering can help custom design a seal that meets all your application requirements, produce high-quality prototypes, test, and scale up to full production.

To get started, click here to submit a design request form.

The post Seals for Clinical Chemistry Analyzers: How to Prevent Leaking appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Medical Device Electrical Connectors: Optimizing Size and Performance https://www.balseal.com/medical-electrical-connectors-infographic/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 18:10:58 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=27498 The Bal Conn® electrical contact helps device makers around the world feel confident about their choice of lead interface technologies. This ultra-reliable electrical connector for medical devices has supported performance breakthroughs and shaped industry standards for SCS, DBS, FES, SNS—and it’s contributing to the development of more new therapies every day. Check out the infographic below for a brief overview […]

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]]> The Bal Conn® electrical contact helps device makers around the world feel confident about their choice of lead interface technologies. This ultra-reliable electrical connector for medical devices has supported performance breakthroughs and shaped industry standards for SCS, DBS, FES, SNS—and it’s contributing to the development of more new therapies every day.

Check out the infographic below for a brief overview on what factors are essential for making medical devices small and mighty.medical device electrical connectors design tips

infographic image infographic image

The Demand for Medical Electrical Connectors

Neuromodulation devices are implanted in the body. They manage pain, tremors, and restore hearing through the use of electrical pulses.

Generally, the greatest challenge for engineers creating neuromodulation devices is that there is increasing demand for these devices to become smaller and smaller while continuing to be as functional as possible.

Bal Seal electrical connectors can help meet both size and connection density requirements because they can be custom-built to be extremely small and ultra-reliable.

Medical Device Electrical Connector Design Tips

Packing lots of performance into a tiny implantable device can seem daunting. However, this is made much easier with the help of our custom electrical connectors for medical devices.

Some must-have features for medical device electrical connectors include:

  • A small pitch to conserve header space. This allows for greater contact density which increases device functionality.
  • Multi-point conductivity. This helps reduce the risk of device failure.
  • Ultra-low contact resistance (<100 mΩ). This allows for better signal integrity and longer device life.

Additionally, to minimize contact resistance variability, we recommend max lead tolerances of +/- .001 inches.

Connect with the Experts at Bal Seal Engineering

Designing smaller, more functional neuromodulation devices is easier when you partner with an experience electrical contact manufacturer.

Click here to submit a design request form and our experienced engineers can help you elevate your new or existing neuromodulation device design.

The post Medical Device Electrical Connectors: Optimizing Size and Performance appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Electrical Connectors for Medical Devices: Design Tips to Boost Performance https://www.balseal.com/electrical-connectors-for-medical-devices Fri, 02 Feb 2024 22:47:35 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=27539 Designing smaller implantable neuromodulation devices with greater connector density is one tough job. But choosing the right electrical connector for your medical device can make it a lot easier. That’s why we’ve prepared this short presentation for you. It examines the relationship between electrical contact selection and the performance of implantable devices. It also suggests some ways you can make […]

The post Electrical Connectors for Medical Devices: Design Tips to Boost Performance appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Designing smaller implantable neuromodulation devices with greater connector density is one tough job. But choosing the right electrical connector for your medical device can make it a lot easier.

That’s why we’ve prepared this short presentation for you. It examines the relationship between electrical contact selection and the performance of implantable devices. It also suggests some ways you can make more compact, functional devices AND improve your speed to market.

Neuromodulation Device Challenges

Neuromodulation devices are active medical implantables that deliver life-improving therapies. Examples include:

  • Cochlear/middle ear implants
  • Cortical implants
  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Peripheral nerve
  • Spinal cord stimulation
  • Sacral nerve stimulation
  • Functional electrical stimulation

The demand for smaller medical devices is combatted by the fact that new therapies require greater and often more complicated functionality.

The device header is the area where the lead interconnects with battery and electronics. There’s limited real estate, and it represents as much as 30% of the size of the device. A smaller header allows for a smaller device.

In the header, electrical connectors enable transmission of pulses through the lead to the body. This determines performance of the system and ensures therapy delivery at optimal levels.

Performance Factors for Electrical Connectors for Medical Devices

Tiny contacts can deliver big performance as long as they provide:

  • Small pitch to conserve header space
  • Multipoint conductivity to reduce risk of failure
  • Ultra-low contact resistance (<100 mΩ) for better signal integrity and longer device life
  • Biocompatibility (can be ensure with selection of various proven materials)
  • Insertion force (can be minimized by using a contact that offers customizable control of lead insertions/removal requirements)
  • Reliability (can be optimized by employing 100% force verification and heat lot material control)

Design Considerations for Medical Device Electrical Connectors

When designing electrical connectors for medical devices, it’s important to consider:

  • Male interface diameter and tolerance
  • Materials that will interact with the contact
  • Space availability for contact OD
  • Force contribution of contact and fluid seals
  • Electrical resistance requirements

Spring-based contact technologies like Bal Conn electrical connectors consist of a spring in metal housing. They leverage the mechanical and electrical properties of the canted coil spring and allow for a compact footprint and small pitch for saving space. These electrical connectors can be configured in a variety of shapes and housing features to fit your application.

Connect with Bal Seal Engineering

If you’d like to learn more about custom designing an electrical connector for your implantable neuromodulation device, click here to submit a design request form.

The experts at Bal Seal Engineering can help you optimize the design and functionality of your application.

The post Electrical Connectors for Medical Devices: Design Tips to Boost Performance appeared first on Bal Seal Engineering.

]]> Robotic Arm Components: Spotlight on the Seal https://www.balseal.com/robotic-arm-components-spotlight-on-the-seal/ Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:29:32 +0000 https://www.balseal.com/?p=50526 Dynamic seals are used in many areas of robotics, including motors, actuators, and end effectors. But one of the most critical applications is in the robotic arm, which typically performs repetitive tasks in assembly, packaging, and other industrial operations. In most robotic platforms, the arm gets the work done, and it’s often subject to more movement and wear than any […]

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]]> Dynamic seals are used in many areas of robotics, including motors, actuators, and end effectors. But one of the most critical applications is in the robotic arm, which typically performs repetitive tasks in assembly, packaging, and other industrial operations. In most robotic platforms, the arm gets the work done, and it’s often subject to more movement and wear than any other part of the robot. Seals and other robotic arm components are employed at points on the arm where one section is connected to another, at the “joints.”

Not Your Typical Robotic Arm Component

The main difference between seals and other robotic arm components is that seal design requires a delicate balancing act between friction and sealing effectiveness.

The seal must guard against leakage and protect internal mechanisms and electronics from the ingress of dust, moisture, detergents, and other contaminants. However, it must also minimize stick-slip and support consistent positioning over thousands of cycles. This is because, depending on their function, robots may be expected to move with a very high degree of precision – acceptable variances can be as little as +/- 0.02 mm.

The Friction Factor

In any robotic arm component, friction can cause unwanted wear and tear, leading to eventual breakdown. This especially true of seals.

Here are some of the challenges friction can pose in robotic sealing:

  • Impedes consistent & accurate movement
  • Impacts feedback response of other system components
  • Influenced by temperature, pressure and hardware surface finish
  • Decreases equipment life by promoting early seal wear

Robotic Sealing Conditions

When designing or selecting a seal for your robot, it’s important to consider the environment in which it’s expected to function.

Here are a few of the most common conditions under which industrial robots work:

  • Demanding production environments such as automotive, electronics, agricultural, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, transportation & logistics
  • Long service intervals for optimal productivity
  • Repetitive movements, requiring accurate, consistent positioning
  • Broad temperatures (-40 °F to >180 °F)
  • Exposure to water, dust, sand, fuels, oils, and other media
  • May be subject to FDA compatibility requirements

In robot arm joints, end effectors, actuators, and motors, no other seal can match the superior protection against leakage and contamination and low friction performance of the Bal Seal®. With material, energizer, and geometry options that are nearly limitless, the Bal Seal can be customized to meet the toughest wear and serviceability requirements.

A Robotic Sealing Resource

We created this quick-reference guide to help you avoid some common robotic sealing pitfalls, and learn more about the benefits of using Bal Seal spring-energized seals. Download it today, and keep it handy as you begin working on your next great robot design.

reference guide that covers how seals are one of the most important robotic arm components

Quick-Reference Guide – Seals for Industrial Robotics

 

Need some sealing help? Click here to get connected with an expert.

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