How to select a flex arm end fitting for your medical device

An end fitting should be like a seatbelt, integral to your end-users’ experience – but when it’s working best it means they’re probably not thinking about it. That means your end fitting needs to be seamlessly integrated with your flex arm and the rest of your medical device. 

That said, with so many options finding the right flex arm end fitting can be trickier than it seems. We offer several different options for our clients, so if they don’t have a ton of experience with our products it can seem overwhelming at first. Instead of trying to do your own exhaustive study on end fittings, we thought we’d stick everything you need to know to get started in one place: this blog.

First, we’ll tell you the general process of how we help a client select end fittings, then we’ll give you a list of several flex arm end fittings that we offer. Don’t see something on the list? Ask us! With literal decades in this space and a love of design, we’d be happy to tackle anything you need. Here’s how you determine which flex arm end fitting is right for your medical device. 

The end-user determines the flex arm end fitting

Understanding how an end-user will use your device is the most important part of selecting or designing end fittings. We start by understanding the type of motions that the end-user will expect the assembly to have so that using the device feels easy and natural. If people are frustrated with the mounting assembly, they won’t like using your product either.

We focus much of our early energy on mounting the base end of the assembly. Most of our customers are mounting these assemblies to carts or rolling pedestal stands. Rolling makes it easy to move the whole arm assembly back and forth without changing the shape of the arm. 

When mounting to fixed surfaces like headwall systems, desks, or furniture, we find customers need a little more overall length in the arm assembly and some type of swiveling feature at the mounting location.

Real-time screen sharing and quicker prototyping makes this process easier than ever

We’ve improved our design process and made it easier for you to get started. We used to give customers catalogs of all the flex arm end fitting options, and we expected them to pick the right combinations that were also compatible with the sizes of arms needed in the application. But now we simply hop on a video conference call so we can discuss the concepts and features that fit each customer situation. Sharing screens and drawings all in real-time helps us get the basic details right, so we can ship functional prototypes quickly. Each one of these calls reduces the total project time by getting everyone on the same page for a comprehensive discussion..

Matching a mounting solution to your device’s aesthetic 

Customers expect products to have a finished and professional look and feel so that the mounting solution matches the aesthetic and quality of the device that it’s holding, but looks aren’t everything. It has to function well, too. We’ve designed enough assemblies over the years that once we know how the device works and what motions users will need, we’ll show you the best options to start with.

Why your device end can change depending on your flex arm end fitting

They may be on opposite sides of the arm, but your end-fitting and the device end of your flex arm are in dialogue with each other. What does that mean? If you have a stiff or hearty end fitting for your device, it means that you’ll ultimately have more options for the device end of your medical device. 

Developing the device end is when we usually have more freedom to create different types of motion than at the base end. We like to show examples of end fittings we’ve created over the years that provide the motions or features to match your application, get your feedback, and send you some samples to test out. We like to use existing parts whenever possible, but when the application demands unique features or a custom aesthetic or color, we have good suppliers to help us create and tool new parts.

Then we can be an extension of your engineering resources. Helping you design the best solution, whether we use standard components or create new parts together.

The types of flex arm end fitting options we offer at Moffatt Products

As we said before, this isn’t a comprehensive list, but it should give you a good idea of what we currently do – and what we’re capable of doing. Don’t see what you’re looking for with flex arm end fittings? Give us a call and see what we can do. 

Base End Fittings

Swiveling Base 

• Allows the flex arm assembly to swivel at the base, making it easy to sweep the arm back and forth without straining the spring. With a fixed base, if the user wants to sweep the arm back and forth, it uncoils and recoils the spring wire with more fatigue than is necessary. But if the assembly needs to be mounted at an angle, you have to fix the base mount to prevent the arm from swinging down to the low point in its range of motion.
• Quick-Disconnect Couplers
• C-Clamps (Fixed or with Coupler mounting studs)

Device End Fittings

• Threaded Fittings and Fastener Hardware (Male, Female, Set Screws, Fasteners, etc)
• Cable Management / Internal wire harness
• Ball-Swivel
• AMPS/VESA Plate

Questions? Give us a call

We believe in our design process. The most important part of that process starts with a conversation with you. Do you have questions on end fittings, part fabrication, or flex arms? We’d love to talk it through with you. Contact our team today to get started and launch your design. 

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Working on a flex arm design? We are here for a no-pressure phone call. We’d love to hear more about what you are working on and give you ideas and prototypes to improve your decision-making process. Give us a call, we promise it will be worth your while.