Montreal firm wins JEC Innovation Award

Montreal-based health care product manufacturer Groupe Médical Gaumond has won a 2014 JEC Innovation Award for a new transportable hyperbaric chamber application.

The award, for the “Medical” product category, will be presented during the JEC Europe Composites Show, to be held from March 11-13 in Paris.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a treatment in which a patient placed inside a treatment chamber breathes 100 per cent oxygen at a pressure higher than 1 bar.

Made by Groupe Médical Gaumond in partnership with Lunenburg, N.S.-based composites technology supplier Composites Atlantique (Canada), the HematoCare hyperbaric chamber falls between a traditional “hard” chamber – which typically weigh around 1500 kg and can accommodate several patients – and “soft” chambers, which are much lighter (45 kg) and only accommodate one person. Weighing 115 kg, the HematoCare operates up to 3 bar, and is composed of three separate parts: a pressure vessel, a control station, and a transport case that can be converted into a chamber base. All these parts, except for the closing system, are made of composite materials.

According to Groupe Médical Gaumond, the HematoCare targets a wide range of markets. Medical care facilities such as hospitals, clinics and hyperbaric centres are the main market, and the device is especially suitable for small clinics and centres where space is an issue.

This year, 15 companies and their partners will receive an award at the JEC Europe Composites Show and Conferences, selected from over a hundred submissions from 28 countries. In addition to the medical award, winners were selected from the following categories: Design, Simulation, Process, Aeronautics, Aircraft Interiors, Consumer Goods, Consumer Electronics, Pressure Vessels, Oil & Gas, Automotive, Wind Energy, Sustainability, Railways, and Marine.