University’s Acoustic Testing lab reopens to help test essential equipment for Covid patients

GCE Healthcare manufactures high quality and innovative medical gas equipment and accessories. Its Zen-O Lite portable oxygen concentrator supports patients on oxygen therapy. The demand for the product increased substantially during the peak of the Covid-19 crisis.

To ensure they could meet the increase in demand and limit the risk of running out of a component, GCE Healthcare decided to make some internal design changes to the unit. Before the new unit could be rolled-out, it was essential that it was tested for noise emissions to make sure the revised unit was quiet enough to be used in a healthcare environment.

GCE Healthcare Product Manager and Salford Alumnus Donald Oleforo had previously worked with the Acoustic team when the original units were tested.  He said: “As the pandemic unfolded, it was critical to get additional portable oxygen concentrators out to the frontline.  Time was against us and it was a balance between perfecting the design and distributing the units out to those that needed it.

“Zen-O lite is used by patients at home so noise is an important element of the device. Users want the device to be a silent companion and not interfere with everyday life – either while relaxing at home or out and about. The team at Salford were great and opened up the lab to perform the urgent testing.”

Claire Lomax, Technical Manager at the Acoustic Test and Calibration Lab said: “We were so pleased that we could help with this vital testing so that GCE Healthcare were able to quickly move forward with the manufacture of their life enhancing product. Our semi-anechoic chamber is ideal for this type of test, alongside our test methods that meet British Standards to ensure correct certification.

The units are being used in hospitals and care homes across the UK.