In spite of the growing size of the cell phones in our pocket, the future of technology keeps getting smaller and smaller.
While the size of the screens on our mobile devices keeps growing, the intricate electronics on the inside keep getting smaller and more powerful.
The shrinking technology is a trend for many other industries as well. This is particularly true in the medical field, where small parts are essential for being used inside the body.
Breakthroughs in technology, like 3D printing, are leading to breakthroughs in medicine. Scientists and doctors are using 3D printers in very exciting ways. 3D Printers Are The Future Of Technology
3D Printing and Cardiovascular Studies
Heart disease is still the number one cause of death in the United States for most ethnicities. Because of this, scientists and doctors are always looking for new and innovative ways to study the heart and learn more about it.
One of the things that still baffles medical science professionals is how the tissue in the heart and blood vessels work at the material level. For years, researchers have been attempting to understand the material properties of the different tissues that make up the heart. One method they use in research is called biaxial testing.
Biaxial tests attempt to understand the strength of the materials that make up the cardiovascular system. This is done by taking small samples, typically about four inches in size, and then stretching it in one direction and the other direction at the same time. This reveals a lot to the scientists about the properties of the tissue, particularly arterial tissue.
Some scientists prefer to work with smaller samples. Most commonly, the samples are taken from mice. Because mice are much smaller in scale than humans, testing these samples requires a device that can stretch tissue that is only a fraction of an inch. This is where 3D printers come in.
A team of doctors and scientists have contacted computer modeling experts to create a device that can perform the biaxial test on small mouse samples. These devices consist of very small, precise devices that can be used by the scientists to gather data from samples taken from mice. The parts are designed using 3D modeling software and then created using a 3D printer. The result is a very small and precise instrument.
Using Ultrasonics to Clean the Very Small
Of course, in order to clean these devices, you cannot just pull out a scrub brush. Some of these devices are so small that any rough treatment could literally tear them apart, not to mention ruin their sensitivity. That is where ultrasonic cleaners come in. Because Ultrasonics uses cavitation and not vibration to clean, parts will not be subject to forces that can damage them. The small bubbles will also be able to get in and clean the tiny parts to ensure they remain accurate.
Omegasonics has a wide variety of ultrasonic cleaners that can be used in the biomedical field for a range of applications. Browse our ultrasonic cleaning catalog today!
