Name of Supplier: DG Interconnect
Describe an innovation your company developed between 2012 and the present and its potential application in medical devices.
The iCon connector offers features never before available on a standard interconnect. The iCon is the lowest profile circular shell connector in the industry and features an auto-sealing receptacle, auto-latch mating, and auto-eject disengagement. It is essentially the most user friendly, locking connector package designed to date.
How does the innovation work? Please describe the technology.
At the heart of the iCon panel-mount receptacle is a simple, spring loaded, valve mechanism that allows the connector to achieve its auto-seal, auto-latch, and auto-eject operation. Its beauty is in its simplicity, establishing the iCon as the most feature-rich connector on the market.
Describe how your innovation adds value for medical device OEMs. Can it make work processes more efficient, reduce costs, improve quality, or improve patient outcomes?The iCon connector innovation adds value for medical device OEMs on several fronts.
Ease of use – the iCon connector’s automated features establish a new level of user friendly functionality. This performance is critical for manufacturers of emergency medical and surgical OEM devices where the end user must instinctively know how to engage and disengage electronic hand pieces and accessories. By applying iCon technology, their medical device is much easier to use.
Low, clean profile – the iCon connectors low, right angle profile facilitates cable management, keeping wires, cables and the connector close to the device and out of harm's way. The medical device is now more aesthetic and less tangled.
Adaptability – the iCon connector platform is considered an OEM designer’s connector. It is a standard connector package that is extremely configurable and adaptable to an industrial engineer’s design theme. It has a refined appearance that can easily blend into its environment as if custom made for the application.
What distinguishes your product/service from those of competitors and what makes it unique in the market?
iCon is the lowest profile circular connector on the market. Only about a half inch tall when fully mated the iCon is less than half the height of its closest competitor.
The auto-sealing feature is completely inboard. The receptacle is always sealed when not mated. The competition requires a tethered cap applied manually after unmating to achieve the same seal, which is neither functional nor aesthetic.
The auto-disengagement feature ejects the plug from its receptacle when disengaged. It’s more intuitive and eliminates the need to pull on the plug. No competitor offers this feature.
.svg?width=850&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale "10 Finalists Chosen for Supplier Innovation Challenge (DG Interconnect)")
