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Month: March 2023

Belt Technologies Lends a Hand to Revolutionary Surgical Robotic Arms

Posted on by Belt Technologies Inc

Multilayered PureSteel® drive tapes prove essential in groundbreaking robotic surgery technology.

Robot-assisted surgery is transforming the medical field, allowing doctors to regularly perform complex procedures with unparalleled precision and control. In addition to being more accurate and less invasive, this technology allows top doctors in major metropolitan areas to perform surgeries at a distance, providing top-quality care to patients outside these areas who wouldn’t normally have access. Presently, there is one major hurdle toward widespread integration: cost. One company in India is trying to change that by developing new, technologically advanced yet cost-effective surgical systems that would benefit patients around the world. Discover why they chose Belt Technologies as a partner for this undertaking.

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The Customer

A major medical equipment manufacturer based in northern India is revolutionizing robotic surgery with a solution that is affordable and accessible to underserved markets. The company has been operating in the field of medical robotic technology for the past decade with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of medical services for patients all over the world. Their surgical robotic system is improving access to surgery and health care for many who might not be able to receive it.

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The Challenge

The system features a modular design of up to five robotic arms on individual motorized carts, allowing them to be placed anywhere throughout an operating room. Depending on the procedure, medical professionals use between three and five of the arms through a central Surgeon Command Center that includes a high-definition monitor and ergonomically designed hand controls.

Each of the system’s five arms contains three joints. The individual joints are made up of two pulleys and two separate drive tapes for a total of up to 30 belts per system. These robotic arms must operate in conjunction with one another in a very confined space while holding small instruments. For this reason, the pulleys included in the system have to be as small as possible. Additionally, due to the delicate nature of surgery, the motion of these robots has to be entirely jerk-free with zero backlash.

The Solution

The biggest constraint our engineers encountered for this system was the need to decrease the size of the pulleys while maintaining the relative strength of a thicker metal drive tape. As a general rule of thumb, the thicker the belt, the larger the pulley needs to be to ease the bending stresses on the belt. Our solution was to incorporate two PureSteel® drive tapes, each with six layers of 0.127 mm thick stainless steel, stacked on top of one another and precision welded to form one uniform body. This multilayered belt configuration allows for a reduced pulley diameter while also allowing the system to carry heavy working loads due to the design’s increased cross-sectional area.

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The pulleys are designed to only rotate 180 degrees, which means there is zero risk for quick, jerky motions. The two drive tapes work in tandem, with one propelling forward and the other driving the reverse motion. Given the inelasticity of steel, this design handles rapid acceleration and reversing without inducing any backlash.

The Results

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The customer is now producing these systems at a fraction of their competitors’ cost.

In January 2023, the first thoracic surgery was performed with one of the systems. The procedure was a great success, and it’s not the only one; that first system has already completed more than a hundred successful surgeries since it was clinically implemented in December 2022.

Due in large part to these recent successes, our partnership has spurred mutual growth for both the customer and Belt Technologies. The company currently has orders for three dozen more robots over the next year, with planned yearly production increases for the foreseeable future.

The Company: A major medical equipment manufacturer based in northern India is revolutionizing robotic surgery with a solution that is affordable and accessible to underserved markets.

The Challenge: The customer needed to incorporate belts and pulleys in their system’s robotic arms. Due to the highly delicate nature of the surgery, the solution needed to be small and strong with zero risk of backlash.

The Solution: Our team incorporated a multilayered PureSteel® drive tape solution with six individual layers stacked on top of one another and precision welded to form one uniform body, reducing pulley diameter while increasing strength.

The Results: The customer’s system has facilitated more than a hundred successful surgeries and they have orders for more than three dozen robots, with planned production increases.

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Belt Technologies Rolls Out Critical Solution for Vaccine Processing and Packaging Conveyor

Posted on by Belt Technologies Inc

PureSteel® belts provide a hygienic and durable solution for cleanroom environments and pharmaceutical production.

 At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers had to quickly distribute protective items such as masks and testing kits to delay the spread of the virus. The need for this rapid response was compounded upon the development of a vaccine, as massive quantities of liquid had to be quickly packaged and distributed across the globe. In 2021, a UK-based conveyor manufacturer was tasked with creating a turnkey, vaccine-packaging system that would facilitate a 17-fold increase in vaccine production—they relied on Belt Technologies to provide a solution that could be supplied with a short turnaround.

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The Customer

Located in Derbyshire, England, ISOMA was established in 1983 with an emphasis in the fields of process engineering and stainless steel fabrication for the dairy and brewing industries. Gradually, the company evolved into conveyor production for a variety of businesses, specializing in everything from stand-alone conveyors to turnkey systems that encompassed the entire product-handling process.

The Challenge

In mid-2021, ISOMA was chosen to create a machine that could expedite the packaging process of a newly developed COVID-19 vaccine. Due to the nature of the task, the machine needed to be capable of operating within a temperature-controlled, cleanroom environment.

This specialized application environment led ISOMA to search for a unique belting solution to do the job. They initially encountered an issue with the design, as the plastic-tooth belts that they regularly incorporated into other operations were not suitable for two reasons: unsatisfactory hygiene and strength. As steel belts do not generate particulate and can resist corrosive cleaning, they determined our PureSteel® belts would address these issues and reached out to us for help.

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The Solution

ISOMA’s completely custom auto-filling and bagging line consists of three major stages: filling 10-liter polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) containers with the vaccine, labeling the containers and then bagging them up for transport. We included a total of nine PureSteel® belts of six varying lengths throughout the system that could convey horizontally and lift vertically. The horizontal belts are used within the filling and labeling areas to push the containers forward and position them in the appropriate locations.

Further down the line in the bagging area, the system contains several timing pulleys and open belts that lift the containers, insert them into bags and station them at the end of the line. When full, each of the containers weighs 27 lbs. (12 kg), which is too great a strain for a belt made from plastic. Neoprene, rubber, plastic and similar materials are prone to stretching, which throws off the timing, accuracy and repeatability of the process. However, stainless steel has a high modulus of elasticity, giving our PureSteel® belts a high strength-to-weight ratio and making them virtually non-stretchable.

All the belts chosen for this project were created from austenitic stainless steel 316L. Due to this alloy’s smooth, impermeable surface, there is no opportunity for the invasion of microbes or bacteria. The steel belts are also capable of withstanding freezing temperatures without damage, making them the ideal choice for this project. To ensure optimal accuracy, Belt Technologies also supplied patented timing pulleys to match the provided belts.

The Result

Once the vaccine is bottled and bagged, it is transported to plants around the world and segmented into smaller vials, which are then distributed to pharmacies and other locations and provided to the general public. Without conveyor manufacturers like ISOMA, this expedited response to the COVID-19 pandemic wouldn’t have been possible.

The ongoing pandemic crisis demanded rapid belt development and testing, which might normally take years for such a complex machine. However, through intense cooperation and teamwork by both companies, the final result was achieved within a matter of months. This partnership was ISOMA’s first foray into the pharmaceutical packaging field. Not only was the job extremely successful in its own right, but it has allowed the customer to further expand their capabilities into the production of medical packaging machinery, and has opened up new business opportunities for them.

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The Company: Located in Derbyshire, England, ISOMA specializes in conveying systems that encompass the entire product-handling process.

 The Problem: In mid-2021, ISOMA was chosen to create a machine that could expedite the packaging process of a newly developed COVID-19 vaccine, and needed belts that were both strong and hygienic.

The Solution: ISOMA installed a total of nine of our PureSteel® belts throughout their packaging system, to convey horizontally and lift vertically.

The Results: Not only was this job extremely successful in its own right, but it has allowed the customer to further expand their capabilities into the production of medical packaging machinery, creating new business opportunities.