The World’s Smallest Pressure Sensors

During the ComPaMED 2006, the international trade fair for components, pre-products and raw materials in medical manufacturing, a whole range of firms demonstrated how far the miniaturization of medical technology – a prerequisite for active implants – has progressed.28/11/2006

The pressure sensor produced by Swedish Silex Microsystems AB (Järfälla) can barely be seen with the naked eye: it measures just 1.3 by 0.16 mm and is just 0.1 millimeter thick. “This type of sensor, the smallest in the world, can be integrated directly into catheters to measure local blood pressure“, explains Henrik Hellqvist, Business Development Manager, Life Science, at Silex. The specialists for MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems), who supply more than half their products to the medical and life science industries, achieved a staggering 90 percent growth last year.

The smaller the dimensions become and the further medical technology advances into the “pygmy” world of nanotechnology, the more important quality control becomes. Several of the COMPAMED exhibitors are keeping abreast of this development. Fries Research & Technology GmbH (Bergisch Gladbach) is, for example, the only company in the world to provide all types of surface analysis, including atomic force microscopy, under one roof. “We work with object dimensions ranging from meters to nanometers“, explains CEO Dr. Thomas Fries. His company uses multi-sensor devices, which use both scanning and imaging methods for 100% non-destructive testing. These methods are used to determine factors such as component tomography, profile, roughness or layer thickness, either alone or in combination. The modular devices can be integrated seamlessly into fully automated processes and can be used to analyze everything from breast implants to stent surfaces and MEMS.

NanoFocus AG (Ettlingen) provides three-dimensional surface visualization using a combination of a scanning laser profile meter and a confocal microscope. This duo is optimally suited to “feel” properties of an implant’s surface, such as its roughness. “Defined values in this area provide important information about a number of factors, including bio-compatibility”, explains Rouven Lenz, Head of Sales and Distribution at NanoFocus. Siemens AG, which was represented at the COMPAMED for the first time, provides high-resolution, extremely fast confocal microscopes under the name Siscan, which have more than 128 channels. “These products have already proved themselves in other industries, and are now being very well-received for use in the medical industry”, enthuses Markus Lotz from the Technical Sales team of the Electronics Assembly Systems Division at Siemens Automation and Drives.

Bayer MaterialScience AG was the second “industry heavyweight” represented at the IVAM (Fachverband für Mikrotechnik) joint stand at this year’s COMPAMED. One of the Leverkusen company’s core competencies is the provision of medical solutions featuring the polycarbonate Makrolon. This synthetic is particularly suited for use in precise components of inhalers. “Demand for this type of device is increasing due to the current trend in self-medication, which is being supported by efforts to reduce healthcare costs. Medications that patients can administer themselves, by means of inhalation, for example, can replace IVs and injections that are normally administered at an inpatient or outpatient department“, explains Markus Krieter, an expert in medical technology in the Polycarbonates Business Unit of Bayer MaterialScience. The company’s attendance at the COMPAMED underscores the increasing significance of synthetics in medical applications.

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