Life-saving precision work

If processes in medical technology are automated, this requires the highest level of precision and safety. After all, life and limb are at stake. In concrete terms, this means "zero tolerance" for the movements carried out and "zero backlash" for the brake technology used. Kendrion's permanent and spring-applied brakes are ideally suited to sensitive applications in medical technology. The brake specialist has consistently advanced its product portfolio in parallel with the rapid technological development in this field and now offers tailor-made solutions that meet the high requirements across the board.

"The be-all and end-all of our projects in the field of medical technology is sound and solution-oriented advice right from the start," explains Jens Griener, Global Sales Manager Kendrion Industrial Brakes. "We adapt around 95% of our brakes to suit individual customers. To achieve this, we are ideally involved in the development of the medical devices from the very beginning; we accompany the engineering, we advise and adapt."

All of this is done on the basis of decades of experience and countless references. "Whether in robot-assisted surgery, stands for surgical microscopes and imaging diagnostics, or robots in healthcare and AGVs that relieve the burden on medical staff: we are seeing an unstoppable trend towards automation in the medical field," observes Jens Griener. "The number of surgical robots is increasing, remote applications are becoming increasingly important, and AI is opening up completely new possibilities in the operating room and in diagnostics. Automation makes the processes safer, more understandable, and more repeatable."

The electromechanical basis of all movements in both surgical robots and imaging diagnostics are telescopic arms with multiple joints, at the end of which the instrument or diagnostic tool is guided. These applications clearly illustrate the strengths of Kendrion brakes. These are integrated into the joints of the robot arm and support the user in their high-precision positioning work with high holding torques and a safe, zero-backlash hold in the desired position. The customer benefits from an extensive range of permanent magnet and spring-loaded brakes that cover the highest requirements in terms of precision, dimensions, weight, power density, service life and availability.

"When developing and adapting our fail-safe brakes for the medical technology sector, patient safety is of course our top priority," emphasizes Jens Griener. "On the basis of sophisticated technology and industry-specific know-how, we offer our customers tailor-made solutions that are tested for their technical properties under the most stringent laboratory and environmental conditions. With the High Torque Line from our permanent magnet brake range and the Servo Line and Servo Slim Line from our spring-loaded brake portfolio, we have a wide technological selection at our disposal."