Analogue infrastructure needn’t hold you back

Thanks to the digital revolution, technology in both our personal and professional lives is getting smaller and more powerful. For instance, new smart watches have more computing power than the Apollo moon landing space craft! The same applies to medical equipment; hospitals are replacing bulky analogue machines with more svelte, powerful devices. However, the march of digital technology through healthcare facilities is bound by the existing infrastructure, which was developed for analogue solutions, creating unique challenges for battery equipment.

At Accutronics we’re seeing an increase in demand from the medical sector for thinner batteries to be used in new or updated equipment. While advanced technology is a key driver for this, another reason is the fact that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have to design machines that fit into an analogue legacy system.

For instance, in new digital x-ray machines there is only 15mm of space for a battery – the space that was set aside for photographic slides in outdated apparatus. This is because hospitals need new devices to fit into the same space as the old ones. So, development of new technology is being shaped by the infrastructure that has been established for low-tech requirements.

In addition, hospital buildings themselves contribute to space saving needs. While there are modern hospital buildings in the UK, there are also those that were built as far back as the 1800s. Mobile devices and carts have to be designed with manoeuvrability around narrow corridors in mind. Therefore, the components inside modern devices are packed tightly together, leaving no room for large battery packs.

Retrofitting or retrospectively designing systems like this creates interesting challenges when it comes to providing a suitable battery to meet both size and power requirements. It’s frustrating enough when your smartphone battery can’t keep up with your usage, but in the healthcare field interrupted power supplies can cause serious problems.

This means that Accutronics often supplies batteries with very thin section walls, as little as 0.8mm, to allow as much space as possible for the cells. Currently, the size of a battery cell can’t be reduced by all that much without losing power, so in very tight spaces you end up having to compromise the capacity of the battery by using fewer cells.

The key to success is for OEMs to consider the battery earlier in the design process. That’s why Accutronics encourages early engagement for all of its clients. While our bespoke battery solutions can be tailored to almost any situation, the earlier in the design our teams can get involved, the easier it is to ensure optimum performance for requirements.

Accutronics works with its clients to create truly outstanding battery solutions, which provide tangible end user benefits such as low weight, minimal volume and ease of use. This is often achieved via our custom battery and charger design and manufacturing service, Accupro, which integrates seamlessly into OEM device development programmes. Some of our batteries even have more advanced control systems than the Apollo 11, which was about as complex as a modern toaster. It's just our way of staying ahead of the curve!

Trends in Medical Technology 2015

Medical technology (MedTech) is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and the latest and most exciting innovations are currently being explored at COMPAMED, the international medical trade show running from 12-14 November in Dusseldorf, Germany. 

By Michele Windsor

We launched our latest smart-battery range at the trade show, providing a versatile solution to the demand for portable medical devices. Here, we explore a few of the latest trends, live from COMPAMED, for the next generation of medical devices.

1. Power and energy requirements on the rise for portable battery-powered MedTech devices
The last decade has borne witness to rapid innovation in the medical market. Devices have become smaller and as a result, smarter and more intricate components are increasingly in demand. However, there is now an increased demand for mobile technology used in hospitals and in the field, including acute ventilators, portable anaesthesia workstations and intra-oral scanners.

2015 will see a trend for portable, battery-powered medical devices delivering high power discharge from batteries with high energy densities used in mobile hospital setups and emergency services use.


2. Security in MedTech is a concern for OEMs' brands and reputations
Copycat batteries are now available at the click of a button. These, often grey market and sometimes outright illegally produced, knockoffs are now spreading via improved logistics and global supply chain networks. The problem is that copycat batteries often mimic big name brands but lack the certification, testing and even vital circuitry that protects lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from unpredictable failure, overheating and potentially exploding.

Battery original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as consumer brands including Nokia and Kodak have already taken action to protect their lucrative aftermarket from reputational damage by introducing security measures such as hologram labels and traceable invisible ink markings on devices.

2015 will see companies push further into securing their products. Accutronics has already made headway into improved security by making available a hardware-embedded software algorithm (SHA-1) which can identify and isolate fake batteries, stopping them from being used in critical-care devices. This also provides better batch traceability and deters fraudulent warranty claims.

3. Western OEMs competing to win market share of premium MedTech in Asia
Until now, the western world has dominated medical technology, with the majority of intellectual property belonging to European and North American companies. Lately there has been a power shift in the MedTech industry and the Asian market, specifically China, is booming, with growth expected to continue over the next few years.

Thanks to a growing Chinese middle class there are hundreds of millions of new patients, creating a significant demand for high tech devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators and insulin pumps.

2015 will see the trend for European and North American MedTech OEMs begin to establish a more permanent presence in Asian and Far Eastern economies to secure and win market share of the premium industry sector.

4. Fringe technologies will start to be used in MedTech
Having already gained traction in the consumer electronics sector, wireless, or inductive charging, to give it its full name, will begin trials in many MedTech devices in 2015. One of the vulnerable areas of rechargeable medical devices to date has been the connection made between the charging port and the mains AC power supply. This can be a source of ingress for dust and water as well as being a haven for bacterial growth.

2015 will see more medical OEMs explore the use of inductive charging to improve device IP (ingress protection) ratings. Introducing fully enclosed and waterproof designs will make it possible to sterilise devices in high pressure hospital autoclaves. The resultant lack of user-serviceable parts will further elongate device lifecycles by the implementation of a return-to-base repair strategy being adopted widely.

5. Anti-microbial surfaces provide an extra line of defence against superbugs
A World Health Organisation report released in April 2014 states that, "this serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future; it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country. Antibiotic resistance–when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections–is now a major threat to public health."

2015 will see OEMs begin to widely consider the role of antimicrobial polymers and coatings for use in device mouldings, casings and on touchable surfaces to minimise the spread of superbugs such as MRSA and other multidrug resistant (MDR) microorganisms.

Visitors to COMPAMED can view and discuss Accutronics' new product range in Hall 8b Stand F30. We look forward to seeing you.

Custom batteries

At Accutronics, we have standard batteries to suit almost any new portable device, but we also recognise that many applications are unable to accommodate standard batteries and require a custom battery to be designed instead. 

To this end, Accutronics has rebranded its design and manufacturing activities as Accupro, a service which provides both custom batteries and chargers to OEMs in professional markets.

When standard off-the-shelf batteries will not suffice, most battery manufacturers will suggest modifications to a product’s design. At Accutronics however, we work with the OEM to create truly outstanding battery solutions which provide tangible end user benefits in terms of low weight, minimal volume and ease of use.

Correct cell selection is critical in achieving optimal battery and device performance and we can help customers select the right cell for each application, optimising characteristics such as capacity, rate capability, cycle life and thermal performance.

Whilst batteries come in all shapes and sizes and a range of chemistries, you may often need a solution tailored to meet a specific application need.

With the Accupro service, Accutronics offer all of the commercially available rechargeable battery chemistries, but it is Lithium ion proves most popular given its high degree of safety and high volumetric and gravimetric energy density. Depending on the requirements of the application, Accutronics engineers will select from cells with different cathode formulations to provide the best mix of performance attributes. Cathode formations such as pure cobalt (LiCoO2) for high energy, Nickel Manganese Cobalt (Li(NiMnCo)O2) for rate capability, safety and cost or Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) for outstanding cycle life and power delivery are amongst the selections available to Accutronics engineers when developing any new battery under the Accupro brand.

Accupro embedded intelligent electronic systems allow batteries to manage their own charging both efficiently and safely while on-board fuel gauges provide equipment with accurate real time runtime information to ensure the best performance from your battery.

Accupro caters for all sizes of battery, from the smallest single cell solution with simple electronic protection through to large high voltage batteries with active cell balancing, impedance tracking fuel gauging and tiered protection systems. There are no brown-outs at peaks of demand, no failure of critical components at extremes of temperature and no oversized PCBs taking up space and making the battery (and your device) larger than it needs to be.

Accupro uses the latest digital prototyping techniques to get the design to market quickly. Accutronics performs finite element analysis (FEA) of the CAD models and employs 3D printing technologies such as stereolithography (SLA) or selective laser sintering (SLS) equipment to generate physical prototypes. Mould flow simulation is used to test and validate the injection moulding design prior to tooling.