Ceramics Specialist Expands Portfolio
from Spark Plugs to Sensors
NTK Technologies Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) and
its parent company NGK Spark Plugs Company, Ltd.
(Wixom, MI), are proud of their respective status as
global leaders in the semiconductor and automotive
industries. However, looking to diversify its business,
NTK Technologies is focusing its efforts on sparking
interest and gaining recognition in a whole new
industry: medical devices.
Founded in 1936, NGK Spark Plugs carved
out a niche in the automotive industry through its
steady supply of ceramic spark plugs. Building on
this solid foundation of technical ceramics expertise,
the company launched a subsidiary, NTK Technical
NTK Technologies hopes to increase its presence in the
medical device market through its offering of ceramic
components for a variety of medical equipment.
separated into three main divisions dedicated to
semiconductor components, electronic components,
and fine ceramics.
Supported by facilities on six continents, including
design centers in major hubs, NTK is once again
looking to establish itself as a globally recognized
company—this time in the medical device industry.
But whereas the company’s world headquarters in
Japan has become increasingly active in medical
equipment and implants, the firm’s U.S. branch has
yet to delve full-force into serving the device industry.
Confident in its capabilities and current capacity,
NTK is looking to change that. “For us, we can see
that we’re finally at the level where we’re going to be
more competitive and be able to deliver the products
and the price,” says Mariel Stoops, NTK’s marketing
manager. She adds, “We have been supplying to some
major medical companies already, but it was a more
focused approach, and now we are ready to expand
to support smaller players as well.”
The company applies its knowledge of ceramics
to the volume manufacture of such components as
ultrasonic transducers and sensors, PZT elements,
and dielectric resonators for applications that
include ultrasound and MRI systems, among other
medical equipment. In addition, the company offers
thin-film alumina substrates and thin-film submounts
for defibrillators and pacemakers. NTK also cites
bioceramics as a specialty area.
To increase its visibility in the market, NTK will
head to MD&M West as an exhibitor for the first
time. “We differentiate ourselves because we do
cater to the application,” Stoops says. “We have a
very large capacity. We also have the ability to fine-tune the application to provide the maximum benefit.”
—Shana Leonard
■ NTK Technologies Inc.
www.ntktech.com
Booth #693
Valve Supplier
Delivers Integrated
Fluid-Control
Components
From its origins as a machine shop, Acro
Associates Inc. (Concord, CA) soon began
customizing pinch valves for medical device
applications. The company specializes in the design
and manufacture of pinch valves and fluid-control
systems for medical applications in which disposable
tubing and consumables are used.
As it continued to expand its operations, Acro’s
focus grew to concentrate in the device and
bioprocessing markets. In particular, the company
expanded its engineering services to provide
comprehensive consultation in fluid control for
medical device applications, and it subsequently
added full-scale manufacturing services to
accommodate this specialty. In 2007, Acro modified
The Acrosense product line includes digital control boards
that enable component integration in fluid-handling
applications.
Ceramics, in 1967 in order to extend its reach
beyond the automotive industry into such markets
as semiconductors and telecommunications.
Now dubbed NTK Technologies, the business is
Components Manufacturer Pumps It Up
From dialysis machines and in
vitro diagnostic equipment to dosing
applications such as IV systems
and water-cooling mechanisms for
medical laser applications, pumps
and valves play a vital role in
patient-care products. To capitalize
on the medical industry’s needs for
these crucial components, Diener
Precision Pumps LP (DPP; Lodi,
CA) set up shop in 1994 and has
been designing and manufacturing
gear pumps, piston pumps, solenoid
valves, and fluidic systems ever since.
“DPP was created specifically to
address the needs of medical OEM
Magnetically coupled (sealless) gear pumps are used in dialysis and in vitro
companies for custom and standard
diagnostic equipment.
pumps and valves,” says Brian Box,
the company’s senior sales engineer. and endurance and validation testing to OEM
“We were created by leveraging the expertise of customers. Both the Swiss parent and its U.S.
Diener Precision Machining (DPM) and applying it progeny are ISO 2001– and ISO 13485–certified
to the design and manufacture of pumps and valves companies.
for the medical OEM industry.” At MD&M West, DPP will highlight an array of
Switzerland-based DPM has been manufacturing new products. Its offerings will include a 1500-ml/
bone screws, surgical tools, and medical and min silent gear pump with a brushless dc motor, a
dental implants since 1954. In 1980, the company 1000-ml/min gear pump with a brushless dc motor,
became directly involved in the design and adjustable ceramic piston pumps for metering and
manufacture of magnetically driven gear pumps dispensing applications, a media-separated solenoid
and reciprocating piston pumps, establishing valve, and a micro-media-separated solenoid valve
DPP as a separate entity in 1994 to focus on for zero heat transfer to the fluid.
the design and development of precision pumps. —Bob Michaels
DPP underwent its own expansion in 2001, ■ Diener Precision Pumps LP
investing in an R&D and prototype-manufacturing
www.dienerprecisionpumps.com
center in California to deliver custom prototypes
Booth #826
its facilities to integrate lean manufacturing
principles, and this year has expanded its facilities
to increase service and production capabilities.
The company’s expansion has continuously
been driven by product innovation.“We are
launching a major new piece of technology called
the Acrosense fluid-control platform at MD&M
West,” says Winston Wong, vice president of sales
and marketing. “The development of Acrosense was
driven by market need for the integration of fluid-control components such as pumps, valves, motors,
sensors, and other devices into a single, stand-alone
system.”
Suited for system integration or use in a stand-alone environment, the platform can comprise
various components to create a system capable of
networked process control. “We are seeing a trend
toward more-compact devices with reduced power
consumption and improved ease of use.”
With this in mind, he says that this trend is
influencing the design of Acro’s products. “People
would like to easily integrate a wide variety of
components in their system design in a logical
fashion,” he says. The Acrosense line includes a
variety of digital control boards that enable basic to
high-level component integration in fluid-handling
applications.
The company also offers engineering design
services, prototyping, and pilot production of fluid-control systems and components. It provides pilot
to scale-up production contract manufacturing
with quality control, inventory management, and
regulatory documentation. The company has more
than 30 years of experience in designing and testing
fluid-control systems. Its offerings include a line of
standard solenoid and pinch valves that can also be
tailored to particular specifications and requirements.
—Stephanie Steward
■ Acro Associates Inc.
www.acroassociates.com
Booth #626
