Medical
Since Polymer's inception we've been working with various medical equipment manufacturers, both large and small, to mitigate acoustical energy generated within their machines and equipment ranging from oxygen concentrators, CPAPs & BiPAPs for respiratory therapy and obstructive sleep apnea, blood analysis equipment, thrombosis control, motorized hospital beds, and more.
Medical Equipment Enclosures
In medical equipment, plastic and metal covers or shrouds surround and protect the internal components of medical devices such as oxygen concentrators, blood analyzers, and MRI's. Polydamp® Acoustical Foams and composites developed with damping or barrier material are used to reduce airborne sound, structural resonance, and increase the noise blocking potential of these enclosures. In many applications Polydamp® Molded Foams, our three dimensional molded polyurethane foams, are the ideal solution.
Blower, Motor, & Pump Housing
Typical noise components within a piece of equipment (such as an oxygen concentrator or CPAP) include blowers, compressors, or motors within the overall plastic housing. Acoustically absorptive materials can be used in addition to barriers and damping materials. A Polymer Technologies innovation has been the use of tuned Polymer Polyform® Molded Foams with proprietary formulations designed specifically for acoustical applications. The benefit of using molded products in an application is that it allows the noise source within the enclosure to be contained. A molded part can provide many solutions in one product such as airborne noise reduction, isolation, transmission loss and damping depending on the problem and the design. A large advantage of using molded products is that it allows for extensive design flexibility and freedom when working with 3-dimensional materials. In many cases one molded part can replace other components. For instance in one application alone 40 parts, including isolation mounts, 2-D acoustical insulators and air-paths created with plastic, were replaced with one molded part, which significantly impacted cost and assembly time.
Intake/Exhaust Plenums
With every enclosure or piece of equipment typical issues that come up are bringing in cooler/fresher air to be controlled and used for patients, especially in applications such as oxygen therapy or treatment for sleep disorders. In addition, air is a necessity for cooling components where excess noise is generated, calling for design of a tortuous path, which can be done with traditional 2-dimensional materials such as acoustical foams and barriers. However, it can also be accomplished using 3-dimensional molded pieces, eliminating line of sight while maintaining an absorptive air path.
For more information on these specific products, please see our Polyform® Molded Foam page.