What Is a Hydraulic Press Used For in the Medical Industry?

Hydraulic presses are used to shape materials into desired shapes. They're commonly used in medical, dental and pharmaceutical fields.

Hydraulic presses operate according to Pascal's law, which states that pressure transmitted in a closed fluid acts on all areas of the container equally. Therefore, larger cylinders generate more force than smaller ones.

Dental Hydraulic Press

Dental presses are a commonly used tool by dentists and orthodontists to straighten teeth. Not only do they create an even, healthy occlusion, but they can save time and money over manual methods as well.

A dental hydraulic press generates up to 400 bar, or 15,000 kilograms (N) of force. It can accommodate up to three large cuvettes and is constructed out of robust steel which resists wear and tear.

Specac offers a selection of hydraulic presses suitable for medical applications. Additionally, we provide custom press designs to meet individual requirements.

Hydraulic presses can be utilized to produce KBr pellets for FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), as well as general sample pellets for XRF (X-ray fluorescence). They also create test substances which can be analysed for quality attributes. These tests help researchers comprehend the properties of a particular substance, which then informs new medicines or products development efforts.

Microfluidic Devices

Microfluidics, or the movement of liquids and mixtures on a nano or pico scale, is one of the major advances in medicine. Compared to larger processes, it can drastically reduce sample preparation time and boost efficiency.

Research and diagnostic applications of this technology include capillary electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, immunoassays, flow cytometry, sample injection into mass spectrometry systems, PCR amplification of DNA fragments, cell separation/manipulating techniques as well as cell patterning.

Polymers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate are widely used to fabricate LOC devices. PDMS is cost-effective, flexible and easily manipulable, boasting good optical transparency and gas permeability - making it a popular choice in photolithographic fabrication of microfluidic devices.

Microfluidics is also utilized in point-of-care testing, which can help reduce the spread of infectious diseases and provide patients with more tailored treatments. One recent example is a device that can detect and treat sepsis in patients at its early stage - saving clinicians both time and money.

Pharmaceutical Research

Researching and developing new drugs to treat diseases is a crucial aspect of the medical industry. It takes years of effort and testing to make a drug safe and efficient enough for human use.

Pharmaceutical companies invest billions of dollars to research and develop new drugs, as well as expanding existing ones. Many drugs go through clinical trials before being approved for sale, which help determine how well a medication works, its safety for patients, and how much it costs.

Pharmaceutical companies have seen their R&D spending explode in recent years. After accounting for inflation, in 2019, they spent $83 billion on research - almost 10 times what was spent annually during the 1980s.

Sword Making

Swords have long been an iconic element in myths and legends, from Beowulf's sword to Excalibur. They symbolize strength, power, agility - everything!

Sword making is an intricate craft requiring various tools and equipment. It's also a laborious, time-consuming endeavor that necessitates mastery over multiple skills.

Blade making has always been a traditional craft that required hand hammering and shaping the steel with a mallet. This method, known as forging, has been practiced by master blacksmiths around the world since ancient times.

Another technique is stock removal, which shapes a sword from an already prepared stock by filing, grinding and cutting into shape. This is more cost-effective and time consuming in regions where iron and steel are plentiful.