Molex has introduced its MediSpec hybrid circular MT cable and receptacle system, which the company says incorporates an integrated optical and electrical design that reduces the number of connectors required in medical equipment and devices.
The multi-functional connector uses Molex's circular MT optical connector and receptacle technology, providing three configurable MT ferrule compatible ports for a combination of copper or fiber media carrying electrical power, low speed copper signaling, optical data or video signals. The integrated connector technology may be incorporated into custom designs to meet specific end user requirements.
Possible applications include equipment for robotic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, diagnostic imaging, optical coherence tomography, guidance/illumination/navigation, interventional energy lasers and picture archival communications.
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"Medical equipment manufacturers are being driven to develop more advanced optical and electrical interconnects, while at the same time reducing complexity for the end user and minimizing costs," comments Eve Leal, program manager, Molex. "By combining both the optical ferrules and electrical contacts in one interface, the MediSpec Hybrid Circular MT system streamlines the number of connectors a customer needs to deploy, helping simplify installation, increase aesthetics and reduce costs."
For the PC board or equipment side, the MediSpec hybrid circular MT system offers various options of Molex connectors, including optical MT, LC and SC along with electrical connectors such as Micro-Fit 3.0, MicroClasp and various RJ-45 jacks. Other features that make the new connectors well-suited for medical systems, according to Molex, include:
-- Metal and medical-grade polymer connector housing options: Metal housing provides a robust connector to withstand harsh environments and offers EMI shielding, while the polymer housing is lightweight and ideal for sensitive applications, including MRI and PET scans.
-- Expanded beam MT ferrule option: Helps reduce optical loss due to contamination, protects fibers from debris, scratching, pitting and provides long-term connection reliability, a critical requirement of medical equipment.
-- Fiber counts range from 1 to 24 fibers per ferrule: Accommodates multimode expanded beam 12-fiber ferrules and/or traditional multimode and singlemode MT ferrules for a variety of signaling, sensing or power carrying applications used in medical fiber optic-based products and technologies.
The MediSpec hybrid circular MT system will be on display at MD&M West, February 14-16, in Anaheim, CA, at Molex's booth #2074. For more information, visit www.molex.com/link/medispechybridcircular.html.
