Miniature Sapphire Balls
A line of miniature precision sapphire and ruby balls that are impervious to most chemicals and solvents as well as to heat consists of components in 42 inch and metric diameters ranging from 0.1 mm up to 0.5 in. Deliverable from stock by Meller Optics Inc., the balls provide good wear resistance, and have Moh 9 hardness--Knoop 1800 perpendicular to the c-axis and 2200 parallel to that axis. They also feature surface finishes of 20-10 scratch-dig or better, have a melting point of 2000°C, and can be drilled or precision-ground into plano-convex lenses. Suitable for use in medical pumps as check and metering valves, the tiny spheres also serve as ball and roller bearings, stylus tips, and endoscope lenses.
Meller Optics Inc.
PROVIDENCE, RI
www.melleroptics.com

Bonded Rubber Assemblies
Robinson Rubber bonds molded rubber components to parts with substrates made from acetal, aluminum, brass, bronze, carbon steel, copper, ductile iron, fabric, glass-filled composites, mineral-filled composites, nylon, PEEK, PES, phenolics, PTFE, PVDF, or stainless steel. The company's bonding services yield assemblies that eliminate the need for secondary operations and extra components. Equipped with some 20 engineering-grade polymers and more than 1500 rubber formulations, the manufacturer works with customers to deliver the optimal custom formula using its in-house compound formulation and mixing capabilities. Rubber can be bonded to single- or multiple-component substrates that are die-cast, injection-molded, stamped, water-jet-cut, CNC-machined, or wire-formed.
Robinson Rubber
MINNEAPOLIS
www.robinsonrubber.com

Miniature Custom Optics
Custom-engineered optical elements with dimensions as small as 0.20 mm can be ground and polished to micron tolerances and are offered in a variety of configurations, including lenses, prisms, axicons, filters, windows, domes, and mirrors. In addition, Bern Optics Inc. can supply special components having various combinations of flat, spherical, and cylindrical surfaces. Typically created from optical and filter glasses, the tiny elements can be given specialized coatings, if necessary, to meet application requirements. These high-precision custom optical parts are suitable for incorporation into small medical devices and instrumentation. The full-service optics manufacturer provides secondary assembly of components such as doublets and triplets, multielement prisms, mounting optics in cells, and other custom assemblies.
Bern Optics Inc.
WESTFIELD, MA
www.bernoptics.com

Microminiature Silicone Seals
Challenging sealing requirements presented by medical devices with very small formats can be satisfied using microminiature silicone seals manufactured with closely held tolerances. Apple Rubber Products offers seals in a variety of materials and shapes and in more than 2000 sizes with inside diameters ranging from 0.015 to 0.079 in. The seals are produced in a Class 10,000 cleanroom, are RoHS compliant, pass biomedical tests, and are offered with full lot traceability. The supplier provides prototyping services for seals to be used in such applications as dialyzers, medical pumps, IV components, feeding devices, and implanted devices.
Apple Rubber Products
LANCASTER, NY
www.applerubber.com

Ruby and Sapphire Orifices
A series of laser-drilled, wire-lapped ruby and sapphire orifices manufactured by Bird Precision offer repeatable flow rates for both liquids and gases while exhibiting strong chemical and wear resistance. The wire lapping ensures that the orifices are round and polished, eliminating the possibility of burrs or residual loose particles in the area of the opening. This process can also produce diameter tolerances of 0.0001 in. or better. In addition, the lapping of both faces imparts a sharp edge to the orifice, which results in a finely controlled coefficient of discharge. The manufacturer packages the orifices in a variety of stainless-steel, brass, and plastic fittings, connectors, and inserts.
Bird Precision
WALTHAM, MA
www.birdprecision.com