The Revival of an Ailing Medical Market
By Jenny Bieksha, Bishop & Associates Inc.

The medical industry was not recession-proof in 2009, but it certainly fared better than most. Many medical-market segments were impacted by the recessionary economic environment; tight credit, delayed purchases, and downsizing companies impacted nearly everyone. However, as 2009 has come to a close, there are indications that the worst may be over and that profits will return in 2010. Delayed purchases of equipment and reduced (or depleted) inventory levels must be addressed in the short-term. New development programs will be funded, providing new design-in opportunities for interconnect manufacturers and suppliers.

We thought it would be interesting to discuss some of the emerging trends and opportunities in the medical market today, including aging populations, rising health care costs, and the need for medical diagnosis and treatment—in our homes and in remote and emerging regions. Interconnect manufacturers were asked to share their perspective on the medical market and offer insight into how their companies are addressing these issues. An additional review of the medical market is discussed with Hypertronics.

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Spotlight on LEMO
The miniaturization of connectors for medical interconnections creates challenges for the companies that terminate and assemble the end-products. “Designers are pushing connection density all the time,” said Dennis Warren, application engineer for LEMO U.S.A. "LEMO offers the small 0.5mm contacts that are used by many medical OEMs. We have offered PCB contacts for these 0.5mm contacts, but we are starting to push the limits of PCB and flex circuitry through-hole termination with the larger arrays. We are working on a contact that is smaller than 0.5mm, but to move to this next level of density, subcontractors with sufficient skills to terminate these technologies and advanced PCB flex circuitry are needed."

Rugged and Ready for Speed
“LEMO offers connectors with fiber optic contacts for high-speed applications, and LEMO’s fiber optic solutions are housed in rugged, push-pull connector housings,” says Warren. “The LEMO F2 fiber optic contact has a 2mm ferrule, and the newer LEMO F7 contact is a smaller, 1.25mm ferrule, allowing us to offer higher density and smaller footprints. With proper placement of twisted pairs in a LEMO shielded connector, we have obtained very good Ethernet performance in mixed configuration applications. This allows for the combination of high-speed twisted pairs, but a rugged connector housing.”

Expanded Connector Configurations
LEMO is positioned very well to respond to medical market trends. “The LEMO and REDEL brands of connectors have a broad and diverse set of configurations to support trends in portability and miniaturization, connectivity, safety, data security, quality, and reliability,” says Warren. LEMO connectors have been expanded to include more complex mixed configurations beyond basic multi-pin configurations, including:

  • Mixed configurations of low-voltage and high-voltage contacts

  • Mixed configurations of low-voltage and coax contacts

  • Mixed configurations of low-voltage and fluidic/pneumatic contacts

  • Mixed configurations of low-voltage and thermocouple contacts

  • Mixed configurations of low-voltage and fiber optic contacts

Improving International Standards
“Standards harmonization for the expanding medical marketplace will be important to the global marketplace. Currently the UL/IEC 60601-1 harmonized standards have served North America and Europe very well. We still see growth in the minimally invasive surgical market and the surgical guidance market. LEMO is a global company and we are prepared to support medical innovations in all locations of the globe.”

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Spotlight on ODU
“Although we talk about the medical market, it is important to remember that this is not one market, but rather a conglomeration of many different market segments with extremely different requirements and applications,” says Dr. Ing. Kurt Woelfl, president and C.E.O. “Some of the key trends and concerns apply across all of these segments, while other concerns are unique to a specific segment.”

ODU is extremely well-positioned in the medical market, with over one-third of sales in this area. “Our very wide product range allows us to address and service the specific needs and requirements of each sector of the market. Quality and reliability have always been important to the medical market and will continue to be so.”

ODU is Looking Forward
Wolfl says one interesting trend that offers opportunity for the connector industry is the increasing trend towards outpatient care or care provided in the home. “This calls for easy-to-use and extremely reliable connections at a reasonable price. ODU has many products that address this area. In such cases, the connector can play an important role in the interface between the home user and the equipment. Safety, reliability, and ease-of-use are driving factors in this area. Our existing Push-Pull connectors serve well here, and we are continually expanding our capabilities and product range in this area. As the devices are used more in the home and less in hospitals, the ability to sterilize the devices becomes less important. Here, high quality, reliable connectors with disposable pricing becomes key. ODU has developed two interesting product lines designed specifically for the disposable field, the ODU MINI-MED line and our A6 disposable version for our ODU MEDI-SNAP line.”

ODU is Building on Experience
 Requirements for high density, small footprints, and low profiles are not uncommon in many of the markets ODU already deals with. "By using our experiences in other markets, and applying it to the specifics of the medical market and the knowledge we have there, ODU is continually developing new connectors that address these requirements. One interesting example is our ODU MINI-MED line. New applications are driving the miniaturization of connectors, such as 'in-body' applications like heart-assistant devices.” 

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Spotlight on Molex
Molex has a very broad product offering of high-speed/high-performance interconnect systems, including backplane, I/O, mezzanine, and card edge technologies to suit a wide array of density and speed requirements to more than 20 Gb/s. “We have a robust pipeline of new product development in each category to meet higher speed and density requirements for future platforms of 25 to 40 Gb/s and beyond,” says Jeff Gaumer, new product development manager. “In addition, we continue to play a major role in the development of new industry standards, working closely with standard-setting organizations worldwide. We are seeing a move toward interconnect miniaturization in things such as handheld devices, and applications for in and around the body. We have current technology down to 0.25mm-pitch spacing in conventional connector construction. We also are developing finer pitch products through proprietary technologies.”

Molex Thinks Big, and Small
Molex forecasts upcoming trends to include the development, refinement, and deployment of electronic medical record technology in the healthcare industry, home monitoring, wireless technology, increased use of sensors in and around the body, and higher speed and performance in imaging and robotic electronics. “Molex is positioned to support these trends as they unfold through a large breadth of interconnect products, technology roadmaps, and acquisition strategies. For example, Molex recently expanded our RF capabilities through the acquisition of China-based Zhenjiang TEAN Telecom & Appliance,” says Gaumer.

“For medical applications, Molex draws from our leadership position in the consumer and mobile electronics industries for items such as microminiature FFC/FPC connectors, and board-to-board and wire-to-board interconnects. We are a significant supplier of antenna technology to the mobile phone Industry, which fits nicely against the wireless connectivity trends in medical devices. In addition, sustainability and environmental awareness continues to be a global trend, which we are supporting through our Molex global Ecocare initiative.”

Molex provides solutions for several medical industry product segments. Specific products and solutions for the medical technology industry include:

Integrated Solutions: A combination of multiple Molex products into a single, complete system, such as:

  • Cable Assemblies

  • Membrane Switches/Front Panels

  • Copper Flex Circuit Assemblies

  • PCB Assemblies

  • Fiber Optic Connectors and Adapters

  • RF Connectors and Adapters

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Spotlight on Radiall
 Radiall currently has an extensive range of RF, non-magnetic, coaxial, multi-pin, fiber optic, and other types of interconnect products. Over the past several years, the company has established strong relationships with the medical diagnostic equipment OEMs who supply the medical market. “Our extensive range of non-magnetic coaxial connectors allow for high quality imaging, particularly for MRI system applications,” says Rick Smit, medical market business development manager. “Because of the strategic importance of the medical market to Radiall, in November 2009 we signed a product development collaboration agreement with Integral Process to expand our product offering. Integral Process has over 25 years of experience as a key supplier of interconnect products and sensors for patient monitoring applications. The engineering and design synergy between our two companies has led to the development of Radiall’s new ECG and SPO2 cable assemblies for OEMs who provide patient monitoring equipment in the global marketplace.”

Radiall’s skills translate across industries, yet are ideally suited for the unique demands of medical technology, says Smit. “No matter what industry it is, the technology trend is to build a smaller, faster, higher quality product. The medical industry is no different, especially for pacemaker implants and related monitoring equipment applications requiring miniaturization. Another good example is Radiall’s high-performance, high-density, modular Multiport Mixed DC and Signal Contact Connectors for MRI applications.

“Our expertise shows not only in our designs, but in our manufacturing technology processes, such as high-precision machining and molding. To meet the demand for mixed miniaturization and multiple technology combinations, we can respond quickly by bringing new products to market for the most demanding equipment applications.”

Meeting the Growing Needs of the Future
“To serve the needs of aging baby-boomers, the medical industry is rapidly seeking newer, smaller, and more robust portable patient monitoring and diagnostic products. In addition, because of the growing population, there will be more issues involving the allocation of space for in-patient care in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Telemedicine is one way to solve this problem for those patients who do not require in-patient care, but still need monitoring on a timely basis,” says Smit. “Radiall foresees this technology becoming more popular in the coming years. This will require OEMs to develop new products to handle telediagnostic communication between the hospital and the home through a wireless connection or fixed telecom network.” 

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Spotlight on C&K Components
Size is the key factor in advancing medical technology, and C&K Components is ready to meet that demand. “C&K is continuously working to miniaturize our connectors, as well as provide greater flexibility in terms of integration of the connector into the application. For example, our MDMA Series microminiature connectors provide the end customer with the flexibility to manage the end harness himself,” says Gilles Parguey, C&K product manager. “Our MTB1 Series connector is a single inline strip insulator that features twist-pin contact technology and a distance between contacts of 0.050 inches. The connectors can be designed with up to 81 cavities with a pin connector weight per cavity of only 0.021 grams.”

Tiny and Powerful
“The main trends we see over the next few years are reduced size, harsh environment capabilities, and integration flexibility,” says Parquey. C&K is working to develop products that meet these concerns, with the unique consideration of the medical marketplace as a guiding motivator. “We have a number of microminiature connector products that, due in part to their size and reliability, are designed specifically for portable medical equipment.” 

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Spotlight on FCI
 Traditionally, the medical segment has been a strong part of FCI’s portfolio, with board-to-board and internal I/O cable assembly products. As this field evolves, FCI is developing ever-smaller, more high-tech and user-friendly products. The move towards more at-home care creates opportunity for companies like FCI.

“Home treatment of patients and long-distance operations require small, accurate, and extremely reliable equipment, including the connectors used in these products,” notes Gijs Werner, global market manager. Also, personal healthcare, which is more of a consumer-type product, will hit the market to measure and monitor personal health wirelessly, designed with small, accurate systems with customized connector content. Lastly, we expect more product development for brain disorder treatment (brain pacemakers), the very small pieces of semi-implantable products, again, with tiny, accurate, and specific custom connector content. FCI’s experience in small connectors, like FFC and loudspeakers come into play, as well as FCI’s 'corporate research center' (CRC) advanced technology knowledge of plastics, metals, plating, stamping, and molding technology.”

Opportunities and Boundaries for Interconnect
 FCI has seen several trends crossing industries. For example, in the “DATA segment, medical OEMs need proven connectors and are typically, a couple of years ‘behind.’ The difference is that medical OEMs require dual-beam contact systems—and are not prepared to give up on (perceived) performance—whereas com/data OEMs are willing to discuss lowering the standard without effect on end-equipment performance. For mezzanine connectors, the market is reaching its boundaries—with requests going up to single-piece, 1,000-pin, small-pitch, dual-beam BGA connectors. Controlling the flatness of the connector is a challenge; new plastics and mold techniques will be needed to cope with this.

“Another trend, especially for digital imaging, is higher pin count and small pitch. For example, for next-generation MRI scans, up to 1,000-pin one-piece mezzanine connectors are needed, since the pin count is directly related to the high resolution of scans. Remote treatment is a large area of growth, as well as personal healthcare, such as advanced pedometers.” 

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Spotlight on ITT
ITT products are integrated with many of the top OEMs in the medical industry, which means the company needs to be ready to jump into action as these companie move forward. “We support them on any development, whether it is going from large diagnostic to portable to small handheld diagnostic devices, which is a growing trend,” says Murtaza Fidaali, director of business development, medical and industrial markets. “We are prepared because we have product offerings for all three devices (our Universal Contact is used in handheld diagnostic devices; our Micro/Nano and QLC connectors are used in portable equipment; and our DL/DLM/DLP connectors are employed in large diagnostic equipment.”

 As the way medicine is practiced changes and becomes more technology-dependant, interconnect technology will become more critical than ever.  “Remote surgery (also known as telesurgery) and the ability for a doctor to perform surgery on a patient even though they are not physically in the same location, is another trend that ITT is involved in,” says Fidaali. “Remote surgery combines elements of robotics, cutting-edge communication technology, such as high-speed data connections, and elements of management information systems. This is something we have come across from a new application standpoint in the medical field. We are doing research and development work, too, to develop new products for this particular application.”

Innovations That Make Aspirations Reality
“Our product lines, such as Micro/Nano, QLC, and DLP connectors, as well as our pogo pin connector system, are all designed to meet these demands,” he says. “Providing a higher signal-to-ground ratio and reduced crosstalk, and employing a high pin count with various grounding schemes to minimize contact spacing and maintain signal integrity, are just several key features of each of these medical connectors. We have a nano connector in our product portfolio to address miniaturization. We are currently in the final qualification testing and intend to launch this product in 2010. This development is being driven by patient monitoring and handheld diagnostic devices. The trends that will affect the medical market over the next few years are higher resolution, higher density, smaller footprints, and data security. Investing in engineering and project management will be instrumental in preparing us to react to these trends.”

Bishop & Associates Comments:

  • The global medical market continues to grow and new opportunities are wide-ranging. OEMs are expanding and locating manufacturing and R&D activities in new regions, in particular, India, China, and other Asia Pacific locations.

  • The aging of the human population is dictating a need for faster and more accurate diagnostic systems, so patients are treated faster and more efficiently. Home and remote patient monitoring will dictate a need for new, portable electronic medical devices.

  • New product solutions exist for the traditional harsh environment connectors, requiring miniature size, low and/or high temperatures, high vibration levels, low degassing requirements, and low residual magnetism.

  • Long equipment life cycles are characteristic of the medical industry. While there is still a trend to reduce capital expenditures, there is an active R&D environment addressing new technologies, which require new solutions, for new platforms.

  • Global medical OEMs continue to work directly with connector manufacturers with new design-in opportunities; however, there have been subtle changes in the value chain. Manufacturing has been shifting to lower-cost geographies, as well as outsourcing to EMS partners.

Director, Renewable Energy, Medical, and Test, Measurement, and Instrumentation, Bishop & Associates Inc.
Jenny Bieksha joined Bishop & Associates in 2008 as its market segment director for the renewable energy, and the test, measurement, and instrumentation markets. She is currently a management consultant specializing in strategic business planning, with an emphasis on the development of program, market, and product plans. Bieksha has more than 20 years of experience in the electronics industry, with a background in market management, business development, channel sales, product management, and operations for ITT Corporation, Delphi Connection Systems, and Hughes Aircraft Company.

Bieksha has a bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of Wyoming, and has since received her certificate as a project management professional.


 
 
 

Bishop & Associates, Inc. © 2010