CASE STUDY: DOUBLING THE LIFE OF MEDICAL VENTILATORS
The extreme durability of ceramic bearings lets them play critical roles in many products. In medical devices, that role can become a matter of life or death. This success story shows how Boca Bearings helped a medical device manufacturer double the life of its life-saving ventilators with a materials upgrade.
THE SITUATION
Customer Overview: An innovative medical device manufacturer and industry leader in respiratory assistance products.
Problem: Ventilators must operate at extremely tight tolerances even as they age in service. The company sought cost-effective ways to extend the operational life of its essential product lines.
THE ACTION
Bearing Selection: Boca Bearings matched the tight tolerances with an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) ceramic ball that far exceeds the lifespan of other materials.
Application: The balls are used in a check valve that keeps oxygen flowing in one direction, allowing fresh oxygen to be pumped into a patient’s lungs.
Implementation: Boca Bearings’ purchasing team secured reliable supplies that consistently meet the strict quality and specification requirements for production.
THE RESULT
Solution: Working with the customer’s product development team, Boca engineers identified an Al2O3 ceramic ball that meets tight tolerances while deterring the corrosion that limits service life.
Impact: The upgrade effectively doubled the lifespan of the company’s ventilation products, at a crucial time when ventilators were in high demand during the global COVID pandemic.
Outcome: The manufacturer easily upgraded its product lifespan, benefiting its customers and the patients they treat.
At Boca Bearings, we don’t just solve problems; we engineer solutions that perform.
For additional assistance, contact one of our bearing experts at Info@bocabearings.com or call (561) 998-0004.