ZEVEX Selects GE's LIM LSR for Complex, Precision Tubing in its Award-Winning EnteraLite® Infinity® Feeding Pump
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WILTON, CONN. - Jan. 17, 2006 - ZEVEX International, Inc., a Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturer of enteral nutrition pumps and disposable sets, has selected GE - Advanced Materials' injection-molded LIM* 6050-D2 liquid silicone rubber (LSR) to design a complex, patented precision tubing component used exclusively with ZEVEX's EnteraLite® Infinity® Feeding Pump. Traditionally smooth, extruded tubing could not meet the new requirements. Thus, ZEVEX required an alternative to the conventional tubing in order to apply miniaturization technology to its enteral feeding system. GE's LIM 6050-D2 LSR was the answer. The innovative pump design features a peristaltic mechanism whose squeezing action pushed liquid through tubing at a programmed flow rate; optical sensing systems to monitor for occlusions and air in the tubing; and a disposable tubing/frame component that snaps into the pump.
"Our goal was to create a next-generation design that would improve the quality of life of tube-fed patients," said Charity Williams, director of marketing for ZEVEX. "In particular we wanted to let kids have the freedom to play with friends and enjoy school activities and family outings while receiving their feedings from a discreet, portable device. But to make this concept a reality, we needed fresh approaches and innovative materials such as GE's LIM liquid silicone rubber."
The resulting device - the ZEVEX EnteraLite Infinity Feeding Pump - won a Silver Medical Design Excellence Award at the 2005 Medical Design and Manufacturing Conference and Exposition in New York City. The pump performs with precision to give patients the freedom to be active, while incorporating important safety and ease-of-use features to allow family members to be comfortable operating it.
The 6.5-inch-long tubing component molded from GE's LIM incorporates precise flanges and posts that integrate tightly with the pump and sensing system to ensure accurate fluid delivery, pressure detection, and free-flow protection. Its dimensional precision is also critical to proper placement and seating of the disposable tubing-cassette sub-assembly into the EnteraLite Infinity pump by the patient or family member.
GE's LIM 6050-D2 LSR offers excellent tear strength that facilitates the fabrication of complex parts, very high tensile strength to prevent distortion arising from the peristaltic pumping action, and very tight control over durometer and modulus to help assure precise pump delivery of nutritional fluid from every batch of molded tubing. LIM 6050-D2 silicone can be accurately dispensed using conventional liquid injection molding equipment. It is designed to offer fast cure at typical injection molding temperatures, resulting in very high productivity, flashless parts, and negligible scrap.
The EnteraLite Infinity Feeding Pump allows for increased patient mobility and a more active lifestyle compared with other enteral feeding systems that restrict patient mobility by requiring an attachment to IV poles or depending on a gravity-assisted pump for sensing flow and blockages.
"We're proud that ZEVEX has selected a GE - Advanced Materials product to help meet the demanding needs of this smallest, most portable enteral feeding system available today," said Eric Luftig, Healthcare marketing manager for GE - Advanced Materials, Silicones. "GE's innovative materials are making a difference in healthcare where it's most critical - in the quality of life for patients from infants to the elderly."
About GE - Advanced Materials
The Advanced Materials business of General Electric Company is part of the Industrial business group and is headquartered in Wilton, Conn. Comprised of Silicones and Quartz, GE - Advanced Materials is a global leader in providing a range of high-technology materials solutions. The GE - Advanced Materials, Silicones' portfolio includes silicone-based products and technology platforms, silanes, sealants and adhesives. The Quartz portfolio includes high-purity fused quartz and ceramics materials. These materials solutions are used as springboards for innovation in hundreds of consumer and industrial applications ranging from car engines to biomedical devices to integrated circuits. Industries served include aerospace, agriculture, appliances, automotive, construction, electronics, furniture and furnishings, healthcare, home care, industrial, lighting, packaging, personal care, plastics, semiconductor, telecommunications, tire, transportation, and water purification. As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games. Experience more at http://www.ge.com/advancedmaterials.
Abouy ZEVEX
ZEVEX International, Inc., founded in 1986, is a diversified medical device company committed to creating products that transform life with patented and proprietary medical device technologies - from sensors and surgical tools to medical electronic systems. For more information concerning ZEVEX and its products, please visit the ZEVEX website at the following link: www.zevex.com.
