Medical Markets

New Way Air Bearings^® are uniquely suited for the demanding precision required by the medical industry. Boasting noncontact, Frictionless Motion^®️, nanoscale accuracy, and cleanroom compatibility, air bearings are perfectly positioned to form the basis for the manufacture and operation of high precision medical devices. Our air bearings can be used for:

• Computed tomography and X-ray imaging
• 3D printing implants and tissue
• Manufacture of film-based medical wearables

Applications for the Medical Industry

Linear Motion

Air bearing technology’s Frictionless Motion^®️ allows for unmatched precision along linear guideways, both along a single axis and in a two-axis gantry configuration. Our linear slides and flat air bearings can provide the perfect basis for a high-precision X-ray platform. Furthermore, as medical 3D printing of orthopedic implants, cranial implants, dentures, and prosthetics becomes more widely adopted, the absolute best available precision will be required to ensure a perfect fit and finish for the patient’s comfort, as well as minimizing the potential risk of infection.

Rotary Motion

Our air bearing products enable smooth, silent, and fast operation of rotating imaging devices where you need it most. Via our tried and true concave and convex radial air bearings, combined with flat rectangular bearings, you can axially constrain a rotating artifact and then allow it to rotate up to 10 times faster than a comparable system built on roller bearings.

Web Handling

As technology becomes miniaturized and printed circuitry enters the mainstream, one of the first main applications is going to be wearable medical devices. Minimizing cost to the health-conscious consumer will mean maximizing efficiency. New Way Air Turns are optimized for the transportation of flexible webs at high speeds, increasing throughput productions of medical wearables, printed circuits, or photographic films.

Benefits

Linear Motion

New Way air bearings can be positioned down to the nanometer, providing any 3D printing platform the capability to match their manufactured components perfectly to a patient’s anatomy. Additionally, our linear slides eliminate the hysteresis effect from ball or roller elements, providing another level of precision when patients need it most.

Rotary Motion

Without friction or lubricants, CT imaging systems built on air bearings will never require costly maintenance or downtime to service their bearing elements. The lack of friction also allows this type of CT system to operate quicker, and orders of magnitude quieter, creating a less stressful patient environment during imaging procedures.

Web Handling

Web handling systems built with New Way Air Turns offer a myriad improvement over contact roller systems. Especially, when considering the production of medical wearables, air turns move the film on a micro-thin layer of air, removing the potential for a roller to impart surface imperfections to the film. Additionally, the air gap above and below the transported film allows for in-situ interferometric inspection, catching defects before they ever leave the production line