Reliable power supply design is not a guessing game, especially in the healthcare industry. A reliable supply requires suitable design and analysis, components, manufacture process, test, and installation that comply with the relevant industry standards. Only in this way it is possible to safeguard the safety of both the patient and the operator of any medical equipment or device.
Power supplies are used to power a wide range of medical equipment which is essential for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of a patient’s health status. Most medical equipment can be classified into three main categories: diagnostic, treatment, and auxiliary equipment. Below we will review more in detail the latest trends for medical power supplies and how to meet the market expectations.
The Medical Power Supply Trends & Market Expectations
Medical power supplies are used in electrical medical equipment both in hospitals and home care. They can be either internal or external supplies or either AC/DC or DC/DC. Depending on the application, different medical power supplies will be needed, and different specifications will need to be met.
Generally speaking, there are some requirements and market expectations that are always valid and always will be. Some of these requirements include high levels of safety, high efficiency, high reliability, high isolation levels, and protection against electric shocks or current leakages. No matter the application, safety is a huge concern with any medical power supply; that is why compliance with IEC 60601 is required in most cases. Medical power supply manufacturers spend a lot of time designing to meet these stringent regulations and requirements, validating the production of medical power supplies to ensure high reliability. In this way, medical device designers can save a lot of time on designing and verifying the power circuits by using medical power supplies, thereby shortening the time to market.
As medical supplies have been advancing over the years, power supplies have become an increasingly essential component to keep medical equipment running smoothly.
The recent epidemic has exacerbated the interest in following a healthier lifestyle and proactively checking one’s health status. Other growth factors include but are not limited to the technological advancements in healthcare equipment, increasing incidences of chronic diseases, a growing number of healthcare facilities, an increase in the geriatric population worldwide, and a rise in demand for portable and home-based medical devices.
Medical equipment specifications are becoming more stringent to ensure the safety of both the operator and the patient. IEC 60601-1 is a series of widely accepted technical standards for medical electrical equipment’s safety and basic performance, containing plenty of specific and parallel standards. Conforming to IEC 60601-1 has become a requirement for the commercial applications of electrical medical equipment in many countries. IEC 60601-1-2 4th edition is a parallel standard of IEC 60601-1 on EMC, which has undergone extensive revisions and entered into force in January 2019 in the United States, Canada, and Europe. For equipment manufacturers sourcing power supplies from other manufacturers, the best solution to maintaining complicated, ongoing standards is to purchase qualified off-the-shelf equipment, and IEC 60601-1-2 4th edition is an important metric. Specifically, it defines special settings, such as medical treatment, home healthcare, etc. In addition, it is suitable for environments where high levels of electromagnetic interference may be present, including industrial sites or radiation therapy rooms.
Besides more stringent requirements for safety, power supplies are also affected by the high global trend of miniaturization of medical electronics. This trend translates into the need for more compact and lightweight power supplies that can fit into increasingly more portable medical equipment.
According to various market research reports, the AC/DC type accounts for the largest converter type segment in the medical power supply market. The need for this type of power module is expected to increase as a result of the rising adoption of portable medical devices. On the other hand, stricter safety standards and governing compliances are expected to expand the design cycle of medical power supplies.
In terms of market opportunities, the Northern American region is expected to hold a significant market share even in the years to come. Currently, the United States already holds a significant proportion of the medical equipment market as a result of the more widespread implementation of advanced medical devices in the healthcare sector and the increasing necessity to improve the quality of healthcare services. Data from the US Population Bureau Report also estimates that the number of Americans aged 65 and older might exceed 98 million by 2060 from 46 million today. Besides, heart disease causes almost 1 out of 4 deaths in the United States, signaling the need for more treatment and prevention both in hospitals and at home.
Regardless of the specific market and application, medical equipment relies more than ever on reliable, efficient, and standard-compliant power supplies. To design electric circuits for the medical equipment of tomorrow, it is important to select quality components with a long lifespan and high reliability. With over 23 years spent providing quality power supply solutions, MORNSUN is an experienced manufacturer with unparallel knowledge of the needs and requirements of the medical power industry.
MORNSUN’s Medical Power Supplies
Medical and healthcare devices require increasingly more compact, efficient, reliable, and economic power supplies. In response to this growing demand, MORNSUN has organized a series of high-power density AC/DC switching power supplies, the LOF Series. This series of MORNSUN AC/DC converters is suitable for a wide range of medical applications, with particular attention to BF applications. These AC/DC converters conform to the latest medical safety standards (including 2xMOPP) and have an (85)90-264 VAC input voltage and a leakage current below 0.1mA.
Besides the LOF Series, all the MORNSUN’s power supply solutions for medical equipment are designed to meet and solve the most common challenges associated with these applications. Indeed, the MORNSUN AC/DC converters and DC/DC converters for medical applications can provide high reliability and a high performance-price ratio. With the MORNSUN medical power supply solutions, high performance and high reliability don’t come at the expense of low affordability or any compromises on safety. These series of power modules are conformant to several quality standards in the medical industry, including EN60601-1 and ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1 (2xMOPP). They are also UL/IEC/EN/BS EN 62368 certified.
MORNSUN’s power supply solutions are not only employed in medical applications, as they can support engineers working on a plethora of projects. Some of the most common industries served by these power modules include renewables, smart homes, railways, and more.
Contact MORNSUN to request more information about AC/DC converters and DC/DC converters for medical applications or for projects for other industries.
For more information, please visit www.mornsun-power.com
