【Medical Power Supply】Label Durability Requirements for Medical Power Supplies

The reliability of medical electronic products depends not only on key specifications such as electrical performance, leakage current, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). In the medical environment, equipment must undergo high-frequency cleaning and disinfection daily to meet infection control requirements. When assisting global medical equipment customers in developing medical power supplies, Asian Power Devices Inc.(APD) also incorporates these real-world operating conditions into its product design process.

One detail that is often overlooked but crucial to product safety and regulatory compliance is product labeling and safety marking.

According to the medical electrical equipment safety standard IEC 60601-1, all protective symbols, electrical ratings, and warning labels on the power supply must remain clear, legible, and securely attached throughout the product’s life cycle. Therefore, APD has established a comprehensive chemical and physical durability testing program during the design and verification of its medical power products to ensure product labeling meets the requirements for long-term use in medical equipment.

These tests primarily simulate repeated cleaning and disinfection of equipment by healthcare personnel to ensure labels remain intact, text remains legible, and traceability barcodes remain scannable. The test procedure is as follows:

1.The tester uses a cotton cloth (or soft cloth) soaked in one of the following cleaning solutions:

2.Using manual pressure, wipe the label surface repeatedly for 15 seconds, applying moderate but not excessive pressure.

3.Conduct the tests using the cleaning liquids in the following sequence:

a. Distilled Water

b. 96% Ethanol

c. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)

4.After wiping, all text and medical symbols on the label must remain clearly legible. The label itself should not be easily peeled off or torn, nor should it show signs of flaking, and the edges should not lift, curl, or bubble.

However, the 15-second manual wiping test stipulated by the standard is only the minimum requirement for compliance. Depending on healthcare practices around the world, different users and hospitals may use disinfectant wipes, multi-purpose cleaning agents, disinfectant tablets, bleach, or even scouring pads for cleaning. Consequently, the challenges products face are often far more demanding than those simulated in standard tests.

Over the years, APD has consistently partnered with global medical equipment brands to support their product development needs. Beyond compliance with international regulations such as IEC 60601-1, the company also conducts reliability verification tailored to specific product applications and customer requirements. From electrical design and safety verification to often-overlooked details like product labeling, APD has always believed that the reliability of medical power supplies is built on attention to every detail.

Through exceptional materials engineering and rigorous regulatory verification, APD not only delivers outstanding electrical performance in its medical power supplies, but it also builds a trusted foundation for regulatory compliance and safety, even down to the smallest label.