NICU Thoughts #2 - Application of Quartz (and HFOV)
One of the machines we use in pediatrics more often than our adult counterparts is the High Frequency Oscillating Ventilation (HFOV) machine. Basically, it's a machine that is used to help a patient breathe, in a somewhat non-conventional way.
One of the main parameters we change on this machine is the frequency (Hz), or in watch terms, how many ticks per second. Lo-and-behold, the timing is kept by a quartz.
For whatever reason the machine also keeps track of how many hours it has been running- I suppose this is for quality assurance/maintenance purposes. I also forgot to check where the machine is "in house" or not, and if the company grows their own crystals.
Honestly the engineering aspect is way over my head, but still found it interesting to see quartz used in a slightly different way. Also made me appreciate quartz watches even more.
Armchair watch collector
A machine like that is relatively low volume compared to a consumer product. The company would not grow their own crystals; they would just order them at a specified frequency with some kind of temperature parameter. (I worked in our family business producing quartz crystals for 16 years and even we didn’t grow our own quartz, which is a blend of science and art requiring very expensive equipment. We ordered cut blanks and produced finished crystals from those blanks.)
A machine like that is relatively low volume compared to a consumer product. The company would not grow their own crystals; they would just order them at a specified frequency with some kind of temperature parameter. (I worked in our family business producing quartz crystals for 16 years and even we didn’t grow our own quartz, which is a blend of science and art requiring very expensive equipment. We ordered cut blanks and produced finished crystals from those blanks.)
Wow, thank you for the insight! I assumed growing quartz crystals was something really special, as it's something Grand Seiko (rightfully) likes to tout. Quartz finishing sounds like an art in of itself.
Since I have you here, do quartz crystals have different qualities too? As in, do some movements have better crystals than others? Is it like diamonds where the "purity" etc. are assessed?
Wow, thank you for the insight! I assumed growing quartz crystals was something really special, as it's something Grand Seiko (rightfully) likes to tout. Quartz finishing sounds like an art in of itself.
Since I have you here, do quartz crystals have different qualities too? As in, do some movements have better crystals than others? Is it like diamonds where the "purity" etc. are assessed?
Quartz does form naturally, for example, inside geodes, but all quartz used for timing/frequency purposes is grown and is quite pure. The crystals grown are roughly lozenze-shaped and about the size of a hot dog in a bun (but much heavier, of course).
The quartz blanks are cut at specific and extremely precise angles to produce the characteristics desired, one of which is frequency stability, both over time and over the temperature range expected during its service life. In a nutshell, the blanks are lapped in abrasive slurries to a precise thickness, have electrodes vapour-deposited under vacuum and are usually sealed into an air-tight enclosure in a nitrogen atmosphere. Then they are artificially aged in an oven and then tested for stability over a temperature range.
The crystals that change frequency least when aged and when warmed or cooled are the most stable, or “best”. Conversely, crystals may be chosen that change frequency inversely to the rest of the circuit that they are wired into to produce a flat output for the total circuit.
So unlike natural diamonds, the quality of a crystal or any man-made product is determined by the quality of the components used to make it, the tightness of the tolerances, the care taken during manufacture, and a small amount of chance. The goal of quality assurance is to reduce that last element to as near zero as possible. I hope that helps.
Quartz does form naturally, for example, inside geodes, but all quartz used for timing/frequency purposes is grown and is quite pure. The crystals grown are roughly lozenze-shaped and about the size of a hot dog in a bun (but much heavier, of course).
The quartz blanks are cut at specific and extremely precise angles to produce the characteristics desired, one of which is frequency stability, both over time and over the temperature range expected during its service life. In a nutshell, the blanks are lapped in abrasive slurries to a precise thickness, have electrodes vapour-deposited under vacuum and are usually sealed into an air-tight enclosure in a nitrogen atmosphere. Then they are artificially aged in an oven and then tested for stability over a temperature range.
The crystals that change frequency least when aged and when warmed or cooled are the most stable, or “best”. Conversely, crystals may be chosen that change frequency inversely to the rest of the circuit that they are wired into to produce a flat output for the total circuit.
So unlike natural diamonds, the quality of a crystal or any man-made product is determined by the quality of the components used to make it, the tightness of the tolerances, the care taken during manufacture, and a small amount of chance. The goal of quality assurance is to reduce that last element to as near zero as possible. I hope that helps.
Most definitely it did. I feel like your comments are something other people on this site would enjoy as well - perhaps make a new thread with the same contents?
I have a feeling the crystals would be very pretty to look at.
The GS quartz models are pretty renowned for having aged, tested and and temperature controlled quartz, and then only the best of that group actually making it into watches. Makes more sense having just read @AdrianR s tech talk. cheers for that!
An aside: Our ICU HF vents disappeared several years ago. Didn't know they are efficacious and still used on kids.
The GS quartz models are pretty renowned for having aged, tested and and temperature controlled quartz, and then only the best of that group actually making it into watches. Makes more sense having just read @AdrianR s tech talk. cheers for that!
An aside: Our ICU HF vents disappeared several years ago. Didn't know they are efficacious and still used on kids.
I do remember reading/hearing about GS's quartz, would definitely love to own one some day.
I believe HFOV are last resort for us too, and if memory serves, the latest edition of Gomella (from 2020, our Neonatology textbook) states that use of different ventilators are not universally standardized. But I'm just a first year trying to survive so I assume there's a lot more literature on the subject matter 🤷🏻♂️