New Animations Bring Connectors, Seals to Life at Medical Design Show

Three new animation sequences produced by Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. will make their debut on the “big screen” at the Medical Design & Manufacturing Show, running October 22nd-23rd, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Foothill Ranch, CA, October 22, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The sequences, each under two minutes in length, were developed by Bal Seal to demonstrate the performance of its sealing and connecting solutions. An integral part of the company’s exhibit at MD&M, the animations will be displayed on a large, plasma television, giving attendees a unique perspective on the use of Bal Conn™ electrical connectors in implantable medical electronics, and Bal Seal™ PTFE seal and canted-coil™ spring combinations in medical devices.

“We wanted to give medical design engineers and other attendees a no-nonsense, quick-hit illustration of how our products work,” says Bal Seal Global Medical Electronics Account Manager Mark Russell, “and animation accomplishes that in a way no other kind of media can. For instance, by watching the sequence that depicts the Bal Conn’s application in pacemakers, neurostimulation and sensing devices, you experience a view of the working connectors that doctors don’t even get to see. It’s really amazing.”

In Medical Electronics, the most comprehensive of the three Bal Seal animation sequences, the viewer is transported into the thoracic region of a photorealistic male subject. The subject’s chest becomes transparent, and a functioning pacemaker, sending electrical impulses to the heart, is revealed. As the sequence progresses, the pacemaker header assembly disappears, and a series of Bal Conn™ connectors are shown in a cutaway view. The pacemaker lead is inserted and removed, illustrating the Bal Conn’s ability to provide constant force and connectivity. Subsequent scenes in the electronics sequence show the same Bal Conn technology at work in devices used for neurostimulation and sensing therapies.

Separate sequences illustrate the performance of Bal Seal PTFE seal and spring combinations in an insulin pump and a surgical hand tool.

To produce the animations, Bal Seal teamed up with Englewood, Colorado’s High Impact, a firm with over a decade of experience designing for legal exhibits. According to Micah Kohne, Graphic Consultant, animating the performance of connecting and sealing products seemed like “kind of a foreign concept at first.” But he adds that the project ultimately yielded great results.

“We quickly realized the synergies were there” says Kohne. “Bal Seal wanted to illustrate their reliable connections and superior sealing products in detail, and we know all about detail. Besides, the springs and seals Bal Seal makes are simple and elegant, almost artistic in their design. Once we understood how they worked, we knew we could do it.”

Although Bal Seal will officially unveil the new animations in its booth (#344) at MD&M, the company has posted an exclusive preview of the Medical Electronics sequence at www.balseal.com/medical_electronics.

About Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.
Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. is a global provider of custom-engineered sealing, connecting and conducting solutions for original equipment manufacturers. The company’s Bal Conn™ electrical connector, already at work in more than a million implantable medical devices worldwide, facilitates a consistent electrical connection between the device lead and the battery. Its canted-coil spring adjusts to maintain maximum contact with the lead electrodes that are inserted into the device header. Bal Conn spring coils are customized to accommodate specific insertion and removal force requirements, and Bal Conn diameters are available to fit any lead configuration, from IS1 and IS4 all the way down to 0.040.” For the latest news and information about Bal Seal, visit http://mediaroom.balseal.com or call 800.366.1006.

About Medical Design & Manufacturing Minneapolis
Billed as “The Twin Cities’ Premier Event for Medical Design & Manufacturing,” MD&M Minneapolis showcases the latest advances in medical grade materials, assembly and electronic components, computer-aided design & manufacturing, production equipment and more. The show, now in its 15th year, runs from October 22-23, 2008 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minn. For more information, visit www.mdmminn.com.

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Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.
Alicia Parker
949-460-2262
www.balseal.com
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