Cable Assembly and Medical Device Manufacturing

*Dalatec has proven to build upon its multi dimensional supplier position *

*Now the value added part comes in to play!!!

DALATEC'S DESIGN AND ENGINEERING CAPABILITY IN COLLABORATION WITH ISL PRODUCTS PROVIDES CUSTOM COMPONENTS AND CABLE ASSEMBLIES.

In over the past 40 years of component manufacturing, we have come across some very unique projects at the component level involving manufacturers of medical devices. We have worked with small teams of research scientists at universities as well as midsize and large global companies alike. For Cable assemblies, we were fortunate enough to work with a small group of research scientists at Case Western Reserve University on a program in Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). While the program was in its infancy.

For more details on the science, read this article (Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)).

We were asked to build a wearable cable assembly for the FES program. The scientists came to us for our expertise in cable design. The cable was worn by the patient and the connectors were connected to receptacles that were percutaneously attached to the patient. Since the patients were in wheel chairs, we needed a very flexible yet durable cable in the event that the cable got caught in the wheel chair. We also needed special cable jacket material that would not react to a patients skin while the patient wore the cable on his or her body for long periods of time. This program delt with upper extremities. Eventually, we were turned over to a group at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Philly to work on a related program dealing with lower extremity limbs. I was amazed to see a presentation of the therapy on ABC’s Good Morning America where a quadriplegic person was able to open a can of soda and drink from the can wearing our cable and using their therapy. We have created a number of audio devices for Roche Diagnostics and Bayer Corporation since the mid 1980’s. Taking the concept further, we were involved with a company called Cygnus Inc. who developed a bloodless method of taking blood sugar readings from a special watch called a Glucowatch.

Roche cable

See the following articles: 

GlucoWatch® Automatic Glucose Biographer - P990026

What happened to the GlucoWatch Biographer?

The GlucoWatch Biographer

We helped design the alarm element that fit inside the watch which alerted the patient when blood sugar levels were too high or too low. This was a tricky endeavor since we had very tight space to work in and yet the alarm still needed to be audible enough to warn the patient. Although the product launch was not successful, the alarm feature was and in fact, I was told by the company that having that alarm feature was viewed favorably by the FDA. Currently, we are working with a company who builds portable defribulators.

We supply a buzzer and a small speaker assembly for the company. We are currently in the process of troubleshooting and redesigning the internal working of the buzzer. It seems that during production of the defribulator machines, the unit including our buzzer is subject to a vibration test on 3 axis’s X,Y, Z, at a constant force of 12G’s This is causing internal damage to the buzzer. It is our job to change the construction so that the company achieves zero defect on the line and in the field. ISL has been in business since 1975. We have always worked on electronic and electro-mechanical components and assemblies.

We cover a broad range of products and industries. We specialize in offering custom solutions at the components level. Included in my blog are links to some case studies of a variety of products that we have built over the years including some cable assemblies that we use to build for Roche."

* We thank Ken Kawaller for distinctly outlining the history and evolution of ISL's prominence with medical devices.

Morey Solomon, Dalatec Corporation