Parker Hannifin's BioCare Business Unit Introduces Electroactive Polymer (EAP) Technology

Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technology, showcased its BioCare Business Unit at the MD&M West tradeshow in Anaheim, Calif., last week, giving attendees a first look at its new Electroactive Polymer (EAP) technology.

A fraction of a millimeter thick, EAP film is a stretchable, flexible capacitor that exhibits a change in size and shape when stimulated by an electrical field. Parker develops dielectric EAP, which “has great potential for use in a variety of medical applications,” such as pumps, valves, sensors, and actuators, says BioCare’s business unit manager, Mario Calvo.

“If you have an application that requires a high rate of strain, low power consumption, minimal noise, proportional output, and a fast response, then EAP could be an ideal solution for your application,” Calvo says. “EAP based products are also lighter than traditional technologies and offer tremendous power density properties. It’s proven to be quiet and energy efficient, making it great for battery-operated, weight-critical applications.”

BioCare representatives were on-hand to answer questions about EAP, as well as BioCare’s SensoNODE™ Mobile technology, which pairs remote advanced condition monitoring with Bluetooth® Smart technology to provide end-users with consistent and accurate readings for pressure, temperature, and humidity. With the SensoNODE Mobile iOS app, users receive user-defined alerts on a feature-rich, easy-to-user interface.

“SensoNODE provides the vital information and alerts that allows users to visualize their process or equipment operating conditions so they can increase uptime and avoid unnecessary maintenance routines,” Calvo says.

BioCare employs these and many other innovations to help customers optimize their product’s size, weight, complexity, power efficiency, and reliability. The business unit partners with customers with a collaborative engineering approach to develop revolutionary components and systems that solve today’s medical challenges in challenges like respiratory care, surgical diagnostic, biofluid management, and preventive and recovery. Learn more about Parker’s BioCare Business Unit online at parker.com/biocare, parker.com/sensonode, and parker.com/eap.

About Parker Hannifin

With annual sales of $13 billion in fiscal year 2014, Parker Hannifin is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 57,500 people in 50 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 58 consecutive fiscal years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.parker.com or its investor information website at www.phstock.com.