Medical engineering

Materials

• Reinforced cover glass with various surface treatments
• In-house gap fillig reduces accumulation fo dirt or debris
• Anti-microbial surface finishes

Cleaning

• Glass surfaces with good chemical resistance
• Surface treatments such as anti-glare of fingerprint protection
• High-quality IP protection for high hygienic requirements

Operation

• PCAP sensors and tuning for operation with gloves
• Gesture control for touchless input
• Voice control to interact without touching
• Active and passive stylus/pen operation

Technologies

• PCAP sensors with latest generation touch controllers
• Enhanced 2D PCAP touch screen with 3D gesture control
• Camera-based facial recognition systems with state-of-the-art AI

Materials and manufacturing processes

Even the selection of suitable materials has an influence on the quality of the finished end product. And as a result, suitable materials are essential for the hygienic properties of an end product. In accordance with the specifications to be achieved, we use specially prepared cover glasses in our manufacturing processes, for example, which reduce surface contamination through their surface properties. The surface properties of this glass reduce the risk of surface contamination by viruses and bacteria.

Hyclean TEC glass, for example, makes it difficult for bacteria to colonise due to its special surface coating and easy cleaning characteristics. At the same time, the glass is resistant to chemical and mechanical influences as well as UV radiation and retains its full transparency even after long periods of use.

Antimicrobial glass contains ions in the upper layers that eliminate up to 99% of the viruses and bacteria on the glass surface, even after extended use. In addition, the coating prevents the growth of fungi, especially in humid and warm conditions.

Another important factor in guaranteeing maximum sterility is the sealing of the cover glass to the monitor housing. Gap filling, for example, is particularly important for medical touch devices, which is fully automated and carried out under cleanroom conditions by us. In this process, the production-related gap between the cover glass and the frame is closed and thus prevents the ingress of bacteria or dirt.

Cleaning

Due to their reliable chemical resistance, glass surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected without any problems. Even when using harsh cleaning agents, which are commonly used in many industrial areas to remove bacteria, cleaning is possible without any adverse effects. In addition to special cover glasses, we offer our customers various easy-to-clean materials and surface treatments, depending on the application requirements. Furthermore, IP, dust and splash water protection as well as glare protection or fingerprint protection can be realised.

We can also offer a wide variety of mechanical enclosure types and frames that ensure perfect protection for the respective environmental conditions. Whether stainless steel, powder-coated or special plastic housings: With the help of the extensive experience of our material and system experts, we help to find the right solution to meet the necessary hygiene standards.

Production processes

In order to be able to comply with current hygiene standards, the selection of the right components already in the manufacturing process plays a decisive role in addition to the different input methods. For example, we can offer specially prepared cover glasses that reduce surface contamination by viruses and bacteria due to their surface characteristics. We can also use gap filling to close production-related gaps between the cover glass and the frame, thus preventing the penetration of bacteria or dirt. To guarantee maximum series quality, this process is fully automated and conducted under strict clean room conditions.

In addition, we offer different cover glass variants that meet the system requirements and customer needs - especially in the medical sector.

Hygienic and contactless input methods

Hygienic input methods play an important role, especially in the medical technology sector. As experts in the field of touch control, we offer various solutions that enable interaction with or without direct contact.

By using input pens, highly precise touch events can be triggered "indirectly", without potentially contaminating the screen. We enable stylus operation based on our own Projected Capacitive Touch (PCAP) technology. Thanks to the continuous development of our PCAP controllers, we can also achieve error-free and precise touch performance even when wearing gloves. In this way, we enable safe and hygienic interaction that is equivalent to normal finger operation.

But we can also offer completely touch-free input or interaction methods, customised and application-oriented. The control of systems via gestures enables the completely contactless input of commands. Intuitive operation can be achieved, for example, by swiping or rotating gestures. For the realisation of gesture control, we offer our customers either a camera-based or capacitively controlled system.

In the case of the capacitively controlled solution, we developed a controller board in-house based on Microchip's GestIC^® technology, which combines 2D PCAP functionality with 3D gesture control.

In addition to this method, we offer camera-based gesture control. Here, with the help of suitable software, the images captured by the camera system are evaluated and corresponding functions are executed. For 3D gesture control, we use special stereo cameras that can precisely determine movements in three-dimensional space.

We can also offer voice control, which allows the application to be operated contactlessly using an integrated microphone and suitable software. We can realise offline as well as online voice controls, which are optionally based on a cloud system or a local database - customised to the respective application requirements, of course.