Quiet brake technology and the HUSH initiative

Most people would agree that going through surgery is stressful.  On top of that, trying to rest and recover after a painful procedure with beaming bright lights, machines beeping repetitively, and chattering discussions in the hallways will likely add stress to the experience.  Recent studies have shown that over 50% of patients have found this problematic. On top of the patients themselves, nurses and staff have found the excessive noise distracting and agitating pulling focus from patient care.

For this reason many hospitals have started new programs such as the HUSH initiative or Help Us Supporting Healing.  The program is geared to reduce noise levels that affect the healing process of their patients.  Many of these programs started with small steps several years ago by implementing quiet hours, centralizing loud equipment in isolated enclosed areas and eliminating unnecessary alarms and machine noises.  Patients and staff reacted very positively to the changes leading to more drastic measures such as carpeted floors and installing noise absorbing curtains and ceiling tiles.  From the vast success programs such as the HUSH initiative have become widely popular in hospitals around the country.

As a result, medical equipment manufacturers have found much stricter expectations when it comes to machine functionality, specifically limiting machine noise. As KEB works with leading medical equipment manufacturers, we have taken the initiative to implement features that result in quieter braking technology when needed.

KEB brakes and clutches are often found in medical robots, mobile imaging carts and medical booms, all of which are in close proximity with patients and staff.  It has become crucial that they are noise reduced to ease distress and irritation during machine operation.

Some of the features KEB has implemented include:

• Reduced air gap to provide less violent engagement during brake actuation.
• Bumpers and special materials to dampen armature noise during brake actuation.
• Paper washers for dampened brake engagement.

With these added features, KEB has achieved sound levels of  <65 dB at 1 meter.

KEB America can design a noise-reduced brake for your medical application.

Drop us a line and let’s get started.