Stainless steel construction makes this model corrosion resistant and easy to clean. Each unit comes complete with non-marking polymer casters to protect your flooring and an easy to use brake system to keep your cart in place wherever you park it. Want tote bins? They are an available feature made of highly durable engineered polymer.

If your use of this equipment brings it into contact with liquids you can tilt the lowest shelf forward for easy drainage. The makers of this cart have also made a concerted effort to eliminate design features that allow for bacteria and other contaminants to collect in the inside corners and crevices of the unit. Finally, you can also custom order a cart to meet your specific industry needs – even models compatible with automatics lifts are available.

Many people are not aware that stainless steel is actually designed to “stain less” – not to be impervious to any and all rust spots. However, the company still offers a 15 year warranty against significant rust or staining (defined as covering more than 5 percent of the surface of the equipment). They also offer a lifetime warranty against corrosion on the stainless steel posts and rails of their LifeStor with MicroGard system. These warranties apply to both dry and cool storage uses.

Rack It, Stack It, Roll It

The MHC division of Eagle Group has a vast selection of racking systems for healthcare, laboratory and cleanroom environments. I counted over two dozen different applications for these industries on their website and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the models available for each application. Gowning racks, surgical carts, solid and perforated cleanroom table tops – the list goes on and on. This company is a full scope supplier for any storage, transportation, or workspace item that can be made of steel or polymer.

Headquartered in Delaware, Eagle Group has been around since 1947 and is continuing to grow. Their 10 point quality system may be one of the reasons why. The Eagle manufacturing process includes such quality control measures as:

• first-article inspection and testing – in-house, in real-time
• automation of key manufacturing functions for consistency (including use of the newest robotic technologies)
• custom crating and boxing of all equipment to minimize shipping damage

These products are also designed to meet demanding health codes and all outside components are quarantined and sample-inspected before being incorporated into the manufacturing process.

Ensuring that a nursing home resident’s personal wardrobe doesn’t get mixed up in the laundry shuffle is a small kindness that can help people feel that they still have some control over their lives – that they still have some things that are theirs alone. RFID clothing tags make this a simple task.

These tiny radio frequency identification chips can be sewn into the seam of any piece of apparel.   The light color of the device makes it appear almost invisible through even white fabric. These tags are designed to withstand the high temperatures and harsh chemicals used by industrial laundry and dry cleaning facilities. Any process that requires manual sorting can now incorporate a quick pass by the RFID reader to accurately determine what the final destination of each garment should be.

Industry leader Datamar has introduced its smallest tag (called the PersonalChip) to the marketplace just this year. Since it is a high frequency device it does not have to be all that close to the scanner in order to be read. The manufacturer also provides identification chips for textile marking and for pets. ThomasNet.com has additional information on this company that is well worth a look.

How New Is This Technology And How Does It Work?

Surprisingly, RFID has been around for over 50 years. Of course, it wasn’t until miniaturization and mass manufacturing came on the scene that using these devices became feasible. Now these chips can be smaller than a grain of rice and sell (in bulk) for about a dime apiece.

Each system is made up of three components:

• The chip (more properly called a transponder)
• The antenna (which emits a short range radio frequency)
• The transceiver (this decodes the data for the end user)

When an RFID transponder passes near the antenna the radio wave signal causes the chip to automatically transmit its code. This information is almost instantaneously picked up by the scanning antenna and then decoded by the transceiver. Since passive RFID tags are activated by proximity to the scanner they do not have to contain a battery. This makes them safe, durable, and exceptionally long lasting.

The chips can be read through layers of other materials so embedding them in the product being scanned is a popular option. This further protects the device from wear and tear. Unlike a barcode, RFID tags do not have to be read one at a time and large number of items can pass through the scanner at one time if necessary for a particular application.

Wal-Mart has been behind a recent push to require its vendors to tag all their products and this has some people worried. There is no cause to think that the wholesaler will be tracking that box of Cheerios to your pantry via satellite though. Even the high frequency devices only have a range of about 20 feet.

Hospitals are finding these tokens to be a versatile and user friendly replacement for information previously stored in bar code form. The units incorporate firmware (executable software programs coupled with circuitry) that is rewritable and can allow two way communication with matching receptacles. Medical staff can use these carefully controlled devices to review patient records securely without having to access a computer using a login and passwords. Data uploading and transfer are also possible with these tiny key cards and they have many applications in both medical and pharmaceutical R&D settings.

In situations where errors can be fatal (such as heart catheter calibration), the SlimLine tokens offer a way to program medical devices without the risk introduced by human intervention. Fail safes are also put in place to allow the user to check before each use whether or not data on the token has been corrupted. Of course, the data keys can be popped back in the autoclave between jobs to keep them as germ free as the rest of the equipment used for these life saving procedures.

Tokens can also be programmed to monitor equipment use so replacement of components such as DNA testing cartridges can be carried out precisely on schedule. Off the shelf software is available for some jobs, and your Nexus dealer can work with you to customize programs to meet your lab or medical center’s specific needs. Click over to Applegate.co.uk to get contact information for this exclusive distributor of DataKey components in the United Kingdom.

Nexus GB Hits The Road

The Embedded Systems Show in Birmingham will be featuring products of interest to embedded software developers, systems engineers, and end users alike. Nexus will staff booth number 222 in Hall 8 at the exhibit on October 1st and 2nd. They will be showing off many of the DataKey Electronics products they distribute including the autoclave resistant memory tokens and the receptacle styles they connect with. The new splash and immersion safe data cards will also be making an appearance.

Speaking of travel – the DataKey tokens and devices are ultraportable making them ideal for applications that require a patient to use them at home. The units are easy to operate and can increase compliance with treatment protocols by ensuring that the patient receives accurate and timely information. The rugged design and inexpensive replacement cost of these devices make this even more feasible for end users on a tight budget.

Fumigating one building alone cost 27 million dollars. The Brentwood postal facility through which many of the letters passed cost 130 million dollars over 26 months to decontaminate. Surely there must be a better and easier way to disinfect a large area or building when something like this happens. Scientists at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) in collaboration with Stellar Micro Devices (SMD) based in Austin Texas have developed a combined UV-C/X-ray system that may be cheaper and more convenient for possible future anthrax decontamination.

Consequences Of Doing Nothing

If another bio-terrorism attack occurs, anyone who comes in contact with Bacillus anthracis will need to be treated immediately. About 95% of those exposed tend to contract the cutaneous (infection of the skin) form. This less lethal kind has a high curative rate with early treatment using certain antibiotics. The most effective are ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and penicillin. If left untreated, cutaneous anthrax has a mortality rate of about 20%.

Inhalation anthrax is usually fatal. It is very difficult to treat and requires hospitalization along with antibiotics. Even with early and comprehensive medical care, known cases suggest a mortality rate of 75%. It is assumed that this would be near 100%, if left untreated.

The less common gastrointestinal anthrax (a digestive tract illness caused by ingesting the spores) kills between 25 and 60% of those infected. The treatment is similar to the other types, yet has a few different symptoms.

Anthrax is not contagious. Those who become ill are exposed directly to large quantities of spores. Usually this is from a deliberate concentration in a powdery form. The fact that it is not contagious is a reason why it was at one time considered an attractive bio-weapon. The contagion will not spread throughout the population and endanger the attacker.

Weaponized anthrax can continue to infect those who come in contact with contaminated buildings and objects, until the spores are eliminated or killed. UV light and X-rays have been known for decades to kill certain germs under threshold conditions. These mechanisms have been used separately for years to help sterilize equipment.

The new research by GTRI and SMD has found that both forms of electromagnetic radiation can kill the anthrax spores when exposed to high enough concentrations. They found that UV-C in particular does a good job of decontaminating exposed surfaces. They also confirmed that X-rays can kill any spores hidden in crevices. Using phosphors to stimulate high efficiency cathodoluminescence, large areas could be irradiated and made safe in as little as 3 hours.

To learn more details about this exciting new development, click on MedicalNewsToday.

So far, these labels have been primarily used for trailers that indicate load weight. Under most circumstances these tags and labels should rarely, if ever be removed. Removing one leaves evidence behind. Because removal can be relatively easy to identify, void pattern adhesive labels have a wide range of use and application.

Badger can preprint the labels for their customers before delivery. More conveniently, the end user can imprint them with laser, dot-matrix, thermal transfer printing, or handwriting. Although silver and white are standard, such custom labels can be tinted with any color.

Regardless of color, a clearly visible void word pattern is left by the adhesive when somebody tampers with something that has a label attached to it. This expedites the process of identifying these potentially tampered items. Furthermore, creating such specialized tags and labels is effective and versatile.

The simplicity of the idea allows you to substitute the word void for something else, if necessary. The point is that these labels are customizable. The actual word they leave is not important as long as it draws attention to the specific problem – whether it is fiddling, altering, messing around with, or outright tampering. You want to find the item and get it out of inventory or stock as quickly as possible so that your customer will not have to deal with any potential problem.

A Low Tech Solution To A High Tech Problem

Keeping track of inventory that may be handled by lots of people can be a major problem in many industries. Tampered products can have an adverse affect upon a manufacturing company’s reputation and profit line unless these items are identified quickly and easily. Using one of these labels as part of a seal on warranty parts can save a company a lot of money and provide the end user with assurance of product quality or purity.

Tracking and quality assurance is especially important in the electronics, computer, and healthcare industries. It can be equally true for any business that handles sealed containers. Airlines might want quality assurance for meals and beverage carts. Shipping and cargo containers often require seals and attached documentation. Pre-filled medications that you get from your pharmacy sometimes need special labels or seals, especially when it is the over-the-counter or comes through the mail. Sterile packages need labels that should only be removed by the end user.

Whenever there is a warning or information label that should not be taken off during handling, an adhesive pattern one can be attached. If it is gone, then there should be evidence that it once was there. Such use has the potential to lessen liability should something go wrong.

Badger Tag & Label Corporation has been in business since 1935 and is located in Random Lake, Wisconsin. They sell prints on both paper and synthetic stock to customers throughout the U.S. You can purchase them in singles, rolls, sheets, or ganged in whatever quantity you need. Please click ThomasNet for more information.