Turn four into one

The powerful and very quietly running actuator MAX7 delivers up to eight kilonewtons, operates at speeds of up to 13 millimeters per second, and offers strokes between 50 and 700 millimeters. (Image: Ewellix Group)

When the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set new regulations for alternating current medical devices, Armedica Manufacturing Corporation had to respond: They replaced the previously used MAX6 actuator from Ewellix with the MAX7 from the same manufacturer in their height-adjustable treatment tables. This complies with FDA requirements, offers more than its predecessor, and also simplifies inventory management.

The Armedica Manufacturing Corporation from Greenwood/Arkansas is a leading manufacturer of height-adjustable treatment tables for physical therapy and sports medicine. Since its founding in 1998, the company has focused on high-quality, reliable, and durable products. This is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that the first tables Armedica produced over 20 years ago are still in use. This can only be achieved with quality components. That’s why the Americans have been using actuators from Ewellix from the very beginning.

One of the biggest challenges in medical technology manufacturing includes high costs for product design and development, the necessary technology, product safety and quality, as well as regulatory requirements. The latter prompted Armedica to switch from the MAX6 actuator to the MAX7 for its height-adjustable treatment tables. The FDA established new regulations for alternating current medical devices. These now had to feature a light indicator to signal to the user when they are turned on. “Until now, we used the Ewellix MAX6 actuator for height adjustment of our treatment tables,” explains Claude McCormick, founder of Armedica. “It was undoubtedly an excellent product that met all our requirements for quality, size, and performance — but unfortunately, it did not meet the new FDA requirements.”

New Solution – Trusted Partner

A new solution was needed. And the medical technology manufacturer found it again in Ewellix’s portfolio: the MAX7. The powerful and very quiet actuator delivers up to eight kilonewtons, operates at speeds of up to 13 millimeters per second, and offers lifts between 50 and 700 millimeters. It requires little space and can be installed at virtually any angle in vertical or horizontal positions. The MAX7 is approved for medical applications and can be supplemented with various options such as an anti-pinching feature, incremental position feedback, or an emergency lowering function.

The MAX7 also offers logistical advantages: to provide short delivery times and meet market demands for 120 and 230-volt alternating current supplies, the company had to keep large inventories of four different MAX6 actuators. “With the new universal power supply, we can meet all customer requirements from 90 to 260 volts and from 50 to 60 Hertz,” says McCormick. “This allowed us to reduce air freight costs, halve our inventory, and still meet our delivery deadlines.”