Until now, there has rarely ever been a disease with such a far-reaching grip on the world like COVID-19. The pandemic still continues to affect not only the economy but also our personal lives. In addition to protective equipment, to fight the Corona virus there is a need for vaccines, medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices such as PCR tests, and, in the worse cases, respirators. Where do piezo components come into this?
PI Ceramic's piezo technology enables the most innovative medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We are very proud to contribute to the containment and treatment of the Corona virus, and to meet this challenge head on in collaboration with our customers.
Dirk Rössger, Global Head of Sales Piezo Technology
Among others, piezo elements are used in test procedures: To help contain the pandemic, tests based on in vitro diagnostics (IVD) became established. Some IVD tests and instruments are designed to be used in a laboratory, whereas portable and compact point-of-care devices can be used almost anywhere. Handling the extremely small sample quantities used in IVD tests is rather challenging: Very small volumes of fluid must be dosed or moved with a high degree of precision. Piezoceramic components and actuators are used for this purpose. Piezo elements are not only used in IVD test instruments. When manufacturing test strips, the piezo-driven inkjet process is used to print chemical reagents on extremely small test surfaces.
Piezo also powers therapy measures: Life-saving respirators provide patients with severe bouts of COVID-19 with a mixture of air and oxygen, where valves with inserted piezo actuators control the oxygen supply. Piezo elements generate fine vibrations in ultrasonic membrane nebulizers, and ensure that life-saving medication can get deep into the patient's lungs.
