Medical Devices

The term medical devices can be attributed to a vast array of products from ventilators, MRI scanners and X-ray machines down to smaller equipment such as catheters, thermometers and glucose monitoring patches.  Not to mention the growing range of popular wearable tracking products used both for health or fitness purposes.

Many of these products will include temperature sensors or thermal control components which will help to protect the electrical circuits from catastrophic failure.

Whilst not in the front-line of ventilator manufacturing last year, during the surge in demand for these products, ATC Semitec were able to support the supply chain by offering component continuity and technical assistance.  This helped to keep the supply routes open and enable continuity of supply of these end products to the NHS and hospitals around the world.

For temperature sensing applications, engineers require fast, highly accurate and reliable thermistor sensors.  ATC Semitec offers a wide range of such thermal sensors which are ideal for temperature sensing – whether it be non-contact, surface or intravenously. Click here for more info

One of our latest innovations is the Semitec F-micro miniature thermistor sensor which was developed for use in intravenous applications e.g. in Swan-Ganz and ablation catheters. Utilising the smallest of our FT thin-film thermistors, the F-micro can now be supplied in tubes as small as 0.28mm with a time constant as fast as 20ms.  With even further innovation, ever smaller sensors will be available for future applications allowing accurate temperature measurement where it wasn’t previously possible.

The FT thermistor is also available in its SMD form

Semitec’s JT ultra-thin thermistor is increasingly being used within medical devices, due to its exceptionally fast response time and flexible film technology.  Products such as surface-patch glucose monitors and other wearable applications benefit from the JT’s very thin, neat flexible format.

Our SP High Accuracy Bead NTCs  are small, cost-effective interchangeable NTCs, often used in clinical instruments and medical sensors.  The YSI400 standard 2.252kohm and other common R25 values are regular stock parts.

For our full range of miniature temperature sensors click here

For clinical or high temperature applications we can offer Heraeus Platinum RTD sensors.  They offer measurement up to 850°C, are highly linear, extremely stable with excellent repeatability.

Where a localised miniature heat source is required, the Heraeus H540S micro platinum heating element is ideal for heating liquids, gases and solids.                    For more information read here.

Thermal protection of medical equipment is equally important and ATC Semitec supply a number of thermistors, thermal protectors and thermal fuses to the medical sector.  These devices are not only used to protect the medical products themselves, but are also used to protect their battery backup systems.

These batteries often reference Semitec’s 103AT-2 NTC thermistor which has become an industry standard and is widely used across many portable battery systems.  For short-circuit or overcharge/overload protection of these batteries, the ultra-small PEPI VA thermal and current protector is a popular choice, as its compact size helps to minimise the battery profile.

For further advice download the white a paper on ‘The importance of reliability in thermal controls for medical equipment’ from PEPI, a world-leading manufacturer of thermal protectors for batteries and medical appliances.

Please contact our experienced technical team on 01606 871680 to discuss your requirements.