Product Solution: Customers’ Requests Lead to Profitable Opportunities

The introduction of new products into the medical gas industry is always an exciting enterprise, especially considering that high-pressure gases are involved. That requires that the development of any new product should always be approached with great caution.

Before any new products is released into the marketplace, it must be manufactured to strict compliance specifications, be thoroughly tested, and offer the distributor organization and its customer’s fresh opportunities. With tough parameters, such as these, it is no wonder the road to success for any new product takes time and is complex.

For FasTest, a company that has long been producing productivity improvement tools for a variety of other industries (i.e., HVAC, automotive, medical equipment, and pneumatics and hydraulics), developing a new product for the medical gas industry was time well spent.

The new fast-connect system permits the filling of all medical oxygen products from the same medical oxygen source or filling rack.

“The VariQuik System came about in response to a customer’s request,” says Doug Kapsa, Vice President of FasTest, Inc. “One of our customers was using both the FastTest MediMate 870 and the MediMate 540 medical connectors for filling medical oxygen cylinders.”

The customer’s request: “Could FasTest offer a fitting or connection that would allow him to quickly change over his medical O2 filling connectors from 870 to 540 products—one to the next, with total flexibility, including specific portable O2—dispensing products?”

“Since we were providing a solution, to one customer, we realized we were onto something special,” explained Kapsa. “As a result, we were determined to demonstrate to others in the medical O2 filling industry the simplicity and value of the VariQuik.”

Review of Customer Application Leads to New Product Development

The engineering department at FasTest is frequently called upon to review custom product applications. Our engineers respond to as many as 30 to 40 unique requests each month—from current and potential customers. Of these, only a few custom designs are ultimately developed into new products. The VariQuik system was one of these products, but before it was developed and released, it had to meet a multiple list of requirements.

• The VariQuik had to have a sound and reliable product design, with medical O2 as its sole application.
• The VariQuik was subjected to specific performance testing, such as a required EN ISO 7291 (CGA E4 test requirement) standard.
• The product design could not produce or support adiabatic ignition, an absolute requirement when filling medical oxygen.
• The VariQuik had to be operator safe, ergonomically correct, and easy to use, with an acceptable/favorable “life cycle.”
• The coupling system had to be designed in a way that would prohibit any improper connections to a non-medical gas filling station.
• The cost of the VariQuik had to provide an investment that would be favorable to the customer, with a favorable ROI, and a favorable payback—ideally within the first year of service. FasTest believes that this complete list of requirements is necessary for product acceptance and endorsement by medical O2 cylinder fillers. However, what really sells a product like the VariQuik is the creation of a set-up that will save the customer money.

 

In this case, the customer wanted to avoid having a filling rack dedicated to each CGA standard; that would require maintaining two racks. The cost of a second rack would require a significant capital expense, and if that second rack sat idle for any length of time, productivity was lost. Additionally, it wasn’t economically feasible to spend time converting from one fill rack to another because it created substantial downtime to refit from one CGA standard to another.

FasTest’s solution was to develop a coupling that would permanently attach to the medical oxygen supply pigtail for each cylinder filling station. The VariQuik coupling system was designed with a female connection and two male tip adapters. One tip adapter is for the MediMate 870 connector and the other tip adapter is for the 540 Medical connector. The tips were designed to mate with the coupling.

The VariQuik coupling system includes a female connection and two male tip adapters. The components are made of brass and stainless steel to impart strength and durability. The maximum operating pressure is 3,600 psi.

Changeover from an 870 connector to a 540 connection requires an operator to simply, and quickly, disconnect the 870 MediMate connector that was filling an 870 yoke style valve medical cylinder, and connect the 540 medical connector to fill a rack of the new 540 “combi” style portable medical O2 dispensing products. If the rack has 32 pigtail connections, conversion with minimal experience can be completed within a few minutes.

The VariQuik System increases productivity and reduces filling costs by significantly reducing cylinder connection time and the need for multiple filling racks, each dedicated to a specific medical O2 CGA standard.

Now the operator can change out CGA 870 and 540 connectors in seconds to fill either medical oxygen product from the same supply source and even the same fill rack. A “green-to-go” visible indicator ensures proper and complete connection prior to cylinder filling. During the cylinder filling cycle, the VariQuik System is locked in place by an internal locking mechanism. This prevents accidental disconnect by the operator while under pressure.

Rigorous Testing is Standard

FasTest’s compressed gas products are subjected to a variety of testing standards to ensure product reliability and performance, safety, and ease of operation.

Industrial, medical, and specialty gas products are manufactured to precise CGA specifications. All products are subjected to cycle tests to determine durability and cycle life. FasTest continually documents the long-term performance of its gas products . The company currently holds a record at 15 years of service in the field without incident and minimal maintenance requirements.

Making life better for the gas distributor is important to FasTest. Every product multiplies the opportunities that arise to help customers improve their productivity and increase their profits...

To learn more about the VariQuik System or other compressed gas products contact FasTest, Inc., 2315 Hampden Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55114. Phone toll-free: 800- 444-2373 or on the web: www.fastestinc. com/compressed gas. 

Specialty Gas Report FOURTH QUARTER 2007 //