The product, now named the FlipPad, was to be made from FDA approved Makrolan material. It would be water and shock proof and can be kept sterile with standard infection control sprays. The case can be used in sterile areas such as operating theatres or infection control wards and can be hung over hospital bed rails during consultations. The glass front is manufactured using antimicrobial glass that resists bacterial growth yet is sensitive enough to be used with surgeon’s gloves.
The application requiring some consideration was the rear stand which required hinging to allow the FlipPad to stand on the table and be adjustable to any angle. It also needed to be robust and have a high cycle life.
An initial meeting was set up with the customer to discuss his exact requirements and design parameters. The hinge would be over moulded in the rear housing and needed to be constant torque to enable the stand to be set at any angle.
Zygology worked in collaboration their positioning technology solutions colleagues at Southco to propose a number of potential solutions to meet the desired requirements. What torque requirement was required on the hinge, was it to be a symmetric torque or asymmetric were all considered. Samples hinges were shown to the customer for their feel, evaluation and feedback.
The Southco ST-8P position control – constant torque hinge was the option that was finally chosen for the application with a fixed static torque. Samples were provided for initial prototyping and trials. Feedback from the initial trials proved very positive.
The Southco hinge is now an integral part of the FlipPad design and is now going into production.
Ian Carter, Key Account Manager at Zygology added: this exemplifies our approach to working with customers to find the best solutions to their assembly requirements.
