Are
you protected? Detect and Block privacy threats to your computer.
Start now!
|
|
|
|
   
|
||||||
|
|
2006-07-17 News Headlines
GE plastics for electrosurgical E-Z Pen pencils GE plastics materials provide the right resin grades for the new reusable E-Z Pen electrosurgical pencil from MEGADYNE Medical Products.
GE Plastics’ Noryl* and Ultem* resin grades were chosen for the
new 12-use E-Z Pen™ electrosurgical pencil from MEGADYNE Medical
Products. Lightweight and ergonomically designed with both 10- and 15-foot,
kink-resistant cords for easier, more comfortable handling, E-Z Pen pencils
are the only product on the market offering patented E-Z CLEAN® non-stick
tips that allow surgeons to make cleaner cuts. The versatility and variety
of GE’s portfolio of materials for medical device applications,
combined with GE value-added services such as color-matching, enabled
MEGADYNE to meet the specific requirements of this application. One of the noteworthy features of the E-Z Pen is its patented lockout mechanism that is automatic with sterilization. This mechanism, located inside the electrical connector, clicks a gear each time the unit is sterilized. After 12 uses, the lockout plunger fully extends to prevent further use of the connector and avoid a potential safety hazard. It does not require the user to track how many times the pencil has been used. This prevents possible injury to the clinician or patient by locking out the pencil from use before materials degrade to a dangerous or unvalidated level.
“We created the 12-use E-Z Pen to provide hospitals and surgical centers with a cost-effective, reusable tool for electrosurgery incorporating a unique safety feature that prevents additional use after the lifespan has expired,” said Michael Hintze, vice president of Marketing for MEGADYNE. “The components of this device required a variety of different materials that could provide very specific properties. We turned to GE Plastics because they lead the industry in breadth and depth of products for the medical device sector, and offer a number of invaluable services. GE’s materials helped us bring this high-performance, safe, and effective new E-Z pen to market.” Dimensional Stability after Repeated Autoclaving at 134 C With exceptional resistance to autoclave temperatures as high as 134 C, the GE resins delivered high mechanical performance and excellent retention of physical properties after repeated sterilization. The resins also contributed to the design of a less bulky and lighter weight MEGADYNE E-Z Pen. The following GE materials are used in the E-Z Pen: • GE’s Noryl resin was selected to mold the pen housing and the patented lock-out plunger. The most important property of this resin was its ability to maintain structural integrity during repeated autoclave cycles. The custom color of the Noryl resin grade was created by GE’s ColorXpress* service, a speed, industry leading comprehensive color selection and development service. • Two grades of GE’s Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) resins were chosen. A glass fiber-reinforced grade of Ultem resin was used to mold the green electrical connector, whose internal features have tight tolerances. The autoclavability of this grade was critical, especially because many of the internal components of the plug are under load and can move when exposed to the high temperatures of the autoclave. Plug functionality is critical to proper operation of the device, and this material was unfailing in this application. GE’s unfilled Ultem resin was used to create the see-through, yellow-tinted
window on the electrical connector that provides a readout of how many
uses remain for the E-Z Pen. In addition to autoclavability, this grade
offered high clarity as well as excellent chemical resistance and high
dielectric strength. GE’s Ultem resins are widely used in medical
and chemical instrumentation, due to their resistance to chemicals and
heat, and good dimensional stability. Equally as important as its materials, GE provided several services to enable resin selection, color-matching, and process optimization. According to Darcy Greep, E-Z Pen project engineer at MEGADYNE, “GE helped our molder to overcome some process issues very rapidly. And their ColorXpress colormatch service was awesome. GE’s response time to critical deadlines was fantastic and their ability to precisely match to our color was excellent.” Clare Frissora, market director for Healthcare at GE Plastics said, “This
application is a great illustration of how GE’s broad scope of materials
and range of services facilitates the application development process
for designers and device manufacturers. Instead of going from one manufacturer
to another for specific material properties, MEGADYNE was able to find
the right resins for three very different components – including
custom coloring – from one source. GE Plastics' extensive materials
portfolio and industry-leading expertise enable manufacturers to save
time and effort in designing new products.” Read a recent press release from GE Plastics about - 'GE Plastics provides cost-efficient source for diverse resins featured in their Healthcare division multi-function anesthesia delivery system.' * Noryl, Ultem, ColorXpress, LNP, and Lexan are trademarks of General
Electric Company. E-Z Pen and E-Z Clean are trademarks of MEGADYNE Medical
Products Inc.
Click here to view more news headlines. E-mail this page to a friend
|
|
Changing
Jobs? View Homes for Sale in the U.S. 
News / Resources - GE Plastics new Xtreme heat resins shine - Certification, Training and Courses from The American Management Association
- Specials this month at Online Metals - Looking for a Study Program? - All this Months News - How Well Do You Know Yourself? Select from 22 different tests and find out! Copyright
- Unless otherwise
stated all contents of this web site are © 1998/2006 JOBWERX.COM.
– All Rights Reserved. For permission to reproduce any contents of this
web site, please advise our Syndication department: Log onto HELP
|
|
