Micromechanical sterilization cycle counter

In a cooperation project between the Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft für angewandte Forschung e. V. and the Fraunhofer IWU, process technologies for the heterogeneous integration of SMA semi-finished products in silicon-based microsystems are developed. The aim is to achieve the required reliability and robustness of heterogeneously integrated microsystems with SMA for medical engineering applications. The ProAuSter research project aims to develop the necessary process technologies for the heterogeneous integration of SMA semi finished products and to test them on the example of a sterilization cycle counter. The required technologies include the reproducible production of SMA actuators using suitable forming tools as well as hermetic and sterilization-resistant encapsulation. A countable number of cycles of up to 10,000 is to be achieved for an extended applicability of the sterilization cycle counter.

The realization of a reliable cycle counter addresses the elimination of an existing problem and the improvement of products in the field of medical engineering. The process technologies and the resulting basic knowledge form the starting point for new innovations in the field of micromechanical sensor-actuator systems and are available as a basis for further applications in the fields of microfluidics, optics and measurement technology.