Proterial » Getting to Know PCA-HPMS Capabilities

Getting to Know PCA-HPMS Capabilities

Proterial Cable America – High Performance Medical Solutions (PCA-HPMS) is a trusted supplier throughout the medical manufacturer industry. Our innovative manufacturing capabilities supporting life-saving medical devices have made us a leader in the industry and we are constantly creating new components and technology to maintain our position.

Read on to learn all the ways PCA-HPMS can help you with your next project.

What are PCA-HPMS’s Capabilities?

PCA-HPMS manufactures a wide range of components for many medical devices. We support everything from Ultrasound to Catheters. We provide custom products and access to an on-site R&D Lab, allowing customers to develop prototypes and make real-time adjustments to components. We also have ISO-certified cleanrooms ensuring cleanliness and quality.

Below, we dive into specific capabilities we support and the roles our components play.

What is an Ultrasound and How Does it Work?

When someone is pregnant or has an internal medical issue, a sonographer uses an ultrasound machine to send high-frequency sound waves into the body through an array of piezoelectric elements.

The ultrasound generates electricity which is applied to the array. This causes each element in the array to vibrate and emit high-frequency sound waves into the body. These waves bounce off internal organs and tissues, and the array captures detailed information from different angles, enhancing the accuracy of the data. Specialists, such as an obstetrician for pregnancy or a radiologist for other medical conditions, then analyze the images to assess the situation.

An ultrasound machine is made up of five key components:

Probe (Transducer): The handheld device that emits high-frequency sound waves through an array into the body and receives the returning echoes. A conductive gel is applied to the skin before using the probe to improve sound wave transmission.
Central Processing Unit (CPU): The computer that controls the ultrasound system, processes the echoes received by the probe, and converts them into detailed images.
Monitor: A screen that displays real-time images of internal tissues, organs, or a developing baby, allowing for immediate analysis.
Control Panel: A user-friendly interface that allow the operator to adjust imaging settings, capture pictures, and manage patient information.
Power Supply: The energy source for the machine.

What Parts of the Ultrasound Does PCA-HPMS Make?

Coaxial Cables: During an ultrasound procedure, it is critical to have a reliable signal to create a clear image. Coaxial cables made by PCA-HPMS feature excellent capacitance control, with low-capacitance designs achieved through a precision extrusion process

Multi-Coaxial, Multi-Conductor Cable: Ultrasound probes require miniaturized wires and up to 256 coaxes for the most high-resolution image possible.

Assemblies:  Types of assemblies include Low-Level Assemblies (LLA), which do not have filtering circuitry, and High-Level Assemblies (HLA), which include filtering circuitry and enclosures.

What is an Endoscopy?

Used in a variety of minimally invasive procedures, an endoscope is a flexible, long, tube with a camera at one end. Either through a natural body opening, or after making a small incision, the endoscope is slid into the body where the camera can take pictures. There are a wide variety of endoscope-procedures, or endoscopies, including: bronchoscopy, upper endoscopy, duodenoscopy, colonoscopy, and cystoscopy. 

What are Catheters?

Often placed through a natural body opening, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube used to drain or deliver fluid into the body. During certain specific procedures, such as accessing a vein or artery, a small incision is cut for a catheter to be applied.

What Parts of an Endoscope Does PCA-HPMS Make?

Multi Coaxial/Multi conductor Cable. PCA-HPMS designs and manufactures miniaturized cables to transmit signal and power from the image processing system to the distal tip. Our components are made to meet each customer’s electrical and mechanical requirements. Conductor sizes range from 40-48 AWG.
Braided Reinforced Extrusion. Multilayer tubing for working channel or flexible shafts for endoscopes—our tubing is reinforced with stainless steel, or other types of wires. Custom materials are available depending on the customer’s intended application and we can make sizes 1-5 mm in diameter. 
CMOS Image Sensor Cable Assemblies. Using our fine pitch and vertical termination technologies, PCA-HPMS is able to create options for customers to fit image sensors as small as 0.6mm^2 or 1mm^2, LEDs for illumination, and other electronics at low profile within the distal tip. Low profile endoscopes are important for customers, because they can be more comfortable and lower risk for patients.

What Catheter Components Does PCA-HPMS Make?

EVD catheter main extrusion: The main component making up the catheter body. An EVD Catheter is inserted into a patient’s brain to drain cerebrospinal fluid externally.

Custom tubing solutions: Designed to meet specific performance and sterility requirements, PCA-HPMS can make tubing to meet the custom needs of a customers catheter request.

Coaxial/Twisted pair/Multi conductor Cable and Terminations. PCA-HPMS designs and manufactures miniaturized cables to transmit signals and power to the tip of the catheters. We also offer termination of these cables to printed circuit boards or other type of components at both ends, allowing easier integration for customers.
Specialty extrusions: Using specialty extrusions, a customer’s catheter will increase in durability and reliability.

Additional Capabilities

Beyond these specialized areas, PCA-HPMS also manufactures components for a variety of other medical applications, showcasing our broad expertise:

Tracheal Tube Main Insertion Tubing. A Tracheal tube or Endotracheal tube (ETT) is a flexible tube placed through the mouth or nose which is used to assist with breathing during surgery or to support breathing in people with chest trauma, airway obstruction, or lung disease. PCA-HPMS makes the main insertion tubing that provides stable airflow to the patient during surgery or foreign object obstruction or is used to support breathing or airway protection.

NDT. PCA-HPMS has become a leading interconnect cable and assembly supplier to companies that perform Non-destructive Testing (NDT). NDT is performed when a company needs to test a product for safety and quality, but can’t damage the item.

High-Pressure Braided Tubing. Used in many different medical devices, braided tubing is a tube that has a layer of metal or fiber braided between two layers of polymer; affording strong burst pressure, durable reinforcement, no kinking and increased torque. The structural support gained from the internal braiding will prevent the tube from swelling because the braiding is pressurized between the inner and outer layer.  When a material expands, it doesn’t usually return to its previous shape. HPMS uses our high pressure braided tubing in medical devices such as injection lines because we know it’s crucial to prevent expansion during a procedure.

Custom Extrusions and Secondary Operations. Tailored to meet unique project needs, PCA-HPMS is capable of creating an extrusion to a customer’s specific requirements. We are also capable of adding many secondary operations including tipping, flaring, printing and more.

ISO-Certified Cleanrooms. HPMS has a Class 8 and a Class 9 cleanroom on-site for manufacturing and packaging products. These are essential capabilities for the medical component manufacturing industry, and potential customers can rest-assured HPMS is committed to cleanliness and quality standards.

R&D. At PCA-HPMS, our state-of-the-art Research and Development Lab means that we can work quickly and efficiently with the customer. Qualifying as a clean room, our R&D lab offers customers a private lab to work with to determine exactly what they want out of their project. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of variations that HPMS could use to make a tool or a component, which is convenient in case a customer wants a particular material.

Why Choose PCA-HPMS?

Contact PCA-HPMS today to talk about your next project. Between our ISO-certified cleanrooms, our advanced R&D lab and our reputation for manufacturing high-quality medical device components, we know we have the capabilities to deliver the parts you need.