NEW SAFETY ISOLATION TRANSFORMERS COMPLY WITH EUROPEAN MEDICAL DEVICES DIRECTIVE

One of the principal concerns of hospitals, clinics and surgeries is always the safety of the patient and the Medical Devices Directive (MDD), first introduced on 14th June 1993 made this a legal requirement. The MDD calls up a number of standards relating to safety and of these the EN 60601-1 series (Medical electrical equipment – general requirements for safety) is probably the best known and applied most widely.

To meet this clinical concern, REO has developed a range of medical safety isolation transformers that fulfil the strict requirements of the MDD, and all have been tested for conformance with EN 60601-1/A2:1995 and EN 60601-1-2:2001 by a Notified Body.

Isolating transformers help reduce electric shock hazards and limit the risk to sensitive monitoring equipment of interference generated on the mains distribution network. The transformers developed by REO, based on toroidal-core construction, offer many benefits including low-leakage current, high dielectric strength, low electromagnetic stray fields and a very low value of primary-to-secondary capacitance.

Furthermore, the transformers provide an additional benefit in that they protect essential electrical equipment connected to their secondary side against an earth single-fault condition by ensuring that power is maintained to the essential equipment.

By using isolation tape and a screen winding between the primary and secondary windings the required dielectric strength of ≥ 4kV for reinforced and double insulation is achieved, plus the required “general earth leakage current” of < 500 microamperes is also achieved.

The transformers are very compact. This results from the cores of the transformers being constructed from an electrical-grade steel strip, with a screen winding and tape isolation between the primary and secondary windings. The core is virtually air-gap free and has very low losses. Further external protection and mechanical durability are achieved by encapsulation within a plastic housing. The whole transformer – fuses, input/output sockets and mains switch – is housed within a metal enclosure designed for benchtop mounting.

At the moment, REO’s MDD compliant range covers standard units for 230V or 115V with power ratings of 300, 600 and 1000VA. REO also manufactures medical transformers for 3 x 400V rated for up to 8000VA and has designed special versions for building into specialist medical equipment.
Isolating transformers help reduce electric shock hazards and limit the risk to sensitive monitoring equipment of interference generated on the mains distribution network. The transformers developed by REO, based on toroidal-core construction, offer many benefits including low-leakage current, high dielectric strength, low electromagnetic stray fields and a very low value of primary-to-secondary capacitance.

Furthermore, the transformers provide an additional benefit in that they protect essential electrical equipment connected to their secondary side against an earth single-fault condition by ensuring that power is maintained to the essential equipment.

By using isolation tape and a screen winding between the primary and secondary windings the required dielectric strength of ≥ 4kV for reinforced and double insulation is achieved, plus the required “general earth leakage current” of < 500 microamperes is also achieved.

The transformers are very compact. This results from the cores of the transformers being constructed from an electrical-grade steel strip, with a screen winding and tape isolation between the primary and secondary windings. The core is virtually air-gap free and has very low losses. Further external protection and mechanical durability are achieved by encapsulation within a plastic housing. The whole transformer – fuses, input/output sockets and mains switch – is housed within a metal enclosure designed for benchtop mounting.

At the moment, REO’s MDD compliant range covers standard units for 230V or 115V with power ratings of 300, 600 and 1000VA. REO also manufactures medical transformers for 3 x 400V rated for up to 8000VA and has designed special versions for building into specialist medical equipment.

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