Have you ever wondered how the medical industry has managed to cope with fatal diseases?
What could have been so innovative that led to the speedy recovery of patients? And, flexible handling of equipment?
If you are searching for an answer, you have rung the right bell!
It’s human nature to look for dedicated professionals to cater to the patients. But, we neglect the fact that professionals work with medical equipment. And, those equipment needs to have a specific temperature range to work. To do so, medical heating devices are being used.
Different branches of medicine, such as biomedical, etc., depending on such heating systems. These heating devices come in various sizes and shapes. Each one of them offers a moderate temperature for a particular application.
So, let’s go through some innovative heating devices and test their applications.
If you are looking for a heater to assist you to heat curved or stiff surfaces, then Polyimide flexible heaters are the right choice. They are made up of an etched foil layer sandwiched between two polyimide film layers. In addition, some adhesives are used to make the etched foil stick to the film, such as FEP Teflon acrylic, etc.
These heaters also feature a special type of polyimide film called Kaptan.
If you think that there are only one or two uses of Polyimide flexibility, you might be wrong!
These heaters have the advantage of having excellent heat transfer properties. So, they work perfectly where temperature regulation is required. They are mainly used in the aerospace industry, medical equipment, military applications, etc.
Why are Kapton or Polyimide flexible heaters in great demand in the medical industry?
Polyimide flexible heaters or Kaptan heaters can resist ozone, fungi, and, moisture. For this particular reason, they don’t need a controlled atmosphere to work correctly. So, Kaptan heating can make an enormous difference by taking advantage of being physically resistant.
But if care is not taken, these may get vulnerable to moisture and fungi attack.
The second reason is that they can withstand acute temperature ranges of -328 °F to 329 °F. Furthermore, their uniform and specific temperature distribution characteristics make them quite flexible. Even in such extreme temperatures, they somehow manage to retain their shape.
So, there are custom flexible heaters ready to play their part wherever there is an extreme situation!
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If you go into the technicalities, you will find something stunning. The heating elements used in Polyimide consist of low outgassing properties. It helps to release the slightest amount of gas that gets trapped inside.
Hold on! Too much technical information? Let’s cut to the chase, and let me explain what it means.
Usually, where air movement is slower than usual, outgassing might cause a huge fuss. So, if a heater possesses a high outgassing property, the particles might settle on lenses or sensors. And it eventually ends up impairing the functions.
Therefore, polyimide flexible heaters are used to get rid of such issues.
Polyamide films also tend to be solvent resistant. They are lighter in weight and have outstanding tensile strength. All these exceptional qualities make them quite demanding. Especially in fluid, endoscopic warmers, and many other applications in the medical domain.
In short, these heaters are jack of all trades!
If you search for heaters that are chemical resistant, here you go! A flexible silicone heater will do you a great deal. They are made up of two silicon layers vulcanized together. They work through a circuit connected to a power lead.
Just like other flexible heaters, silicon heaters also have numerous applications.
How do silicon rubber or flexible heaters contribute to the medical industry? Let’s overview some crucial facts about silicon heaters that will blow you away!
These heaters are preferred over others due to their customizable quality. They are lightweight, easy to carry, and have a thin profile. As a result, you don’t need a separate table in your clinic or hospital to keep it. But instead, a small space could be workable.
They are long-lasting, durable, and will be beneficial for long-term work.
Another remarkable quality of these flexible heaters is that they are moisture resistant. That’s why they can be used in outdoor environments. Not just moisture, but they are equally resistant to fungi, bacteria, alcohol, etc.
Due to this special quality, they can survive long enough, unlike other heaters.
If you are concerned about high temperatures, there is no need to worry. Silicon flexible heaters offer excellent temperature resistance, approximately up to 500°F.
They provide their service by maintaining moderate temperatures without using excessive wattage.
Their easy installation method always marks them above all flexible heaters. These heaters are adjustable to tiny sockets and recessed nooks. They also come in different sizes to be applicable in various medical procedures.
As the future years call out, new technological advancements must be in progress. And why shouldn’t they be? The human race is vulnerable to minor tragedies. Health threats are increasing day by day, and all we have is innovative ideas to move forward with!
If we talk about medical innovation, striking developments have been witnessed. Flexible heaters have done a great deal to modernize medical equipment. They proved upright in maintaining the temperature control in various medical appliances. And, so will continue to.
Their resistance properties to chemicals, extreme temperature, and moisture have been fruit boring.
So, let’s cheer on the innovative developments of the year 2022. By having flexible heating appliances to help us around and, for many more to come.
