Force, compression or torque measurement in medical technology

Sensors for venous cannulas, dental implants and intraocular pressure

No two people are the same, so precise measurement data is important for optimal care in diagnostics, laboratory automation, auxiliary materials or surgical procedures. The safety and efficiency of medical applications are at a very high level, not least thanks to modern sensor technology. Precision sensor technology from burster and premium evaluation systems, combined with powerful interfaces, enable fast and secure data transmission for all areas of medicine. Three application examples show what is possible today.

Production monitoring for venous cannulas

End-of-line testing of steel needles involves checking how smoothly they move in a flexible cannula catheter. The frictional force must be measured for this purpose. A system for press-fit and joint monitoring is used here (DIGIFORCE® 9307), which monitors and evaluates the force/displacement curves of two test specimens simultaneously. A gripper is positioned on the two cannulas and performs a uniform back and forth movement. The extremely low frictional forces of less than 1N are recorded by sensitive bending beam load cells from the burster 8510 series. This allows the highest quality requirements to be met in production.

Screw in dental implants with torque accuracy

One application close to the body is measuring the torque when screwing in titanium dental implants. These are bolted to the crowns by the dentist. The torque must be monitored when glanding the implants to ensure a tight fit. The usual values here are between 15 ... 50 Ncm at a rotary speed between 1500 ... 2500 1/min. In addition to high dynamics and sensitivity for bidirectional torque measurements, high repeatability, speed insensitivity and mechanical stability are also required. In order to be able to measure very low torques, a low-friction sensor bearing is also important. A model 8661 torque sensor takes on this task. The measuring ranges of the model 8661 sensors range from 0.02 Nm ... 1000 Nm, with only slight non-linearity from ≤ ±0.05 % F.S.

Measuring intraocular pressure

An ingenious combination of a compression sensor with a Goldmann three-mirror glass creates a "contact glass dynamometer". This allows medical examinations to be carried out on the human eye. A tiny force in the mNm range is applied via the contact glass to increase the intraocular pressure. Vascular pulsations in the eye, in response to the compression exerted, allow conclusions to be drawn about systemic blood pressure, orbital tissue pressure and intracranial pressure. The manufacturer needed a sensor with a very flat design to record the smallest forces with low temperature drift. This was achieved through a decoupled design of the sensor body and overload protection.

About burster

Whether individual metrological components or system solutions, burster mainly supplies users in mechanical and plant engineering, automation, automotive engineering with supplier industry, electrical engineering, electronics and the chemical industry. The portfolio includes measuring and testing devices as well as standard sensors for mechanical and electrical measured variables, such as force, compression, torque and displacement sensors and milli and megohmmeters or resistance decades. Individual, customised OEM solutions are also possible, e.g. for many other industries and future markets such as medical technology, biotechnology and e-mobility. Our many years of experience in the construction of measuring devices and sensors always guarantees optimal solutions. Sensors, amplifier and transmitter modules, precision measuring devices and measuring systems for sensor signal processing are supplied to customers all over the world from the development and production site in Germany.