Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for over three million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization. Given the scale of its impact, early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective prevention and long-term care.
The GOLD 2024/2025 reports underscore the importance of spirometry in confirming a COPD diagnosis, with a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio of less than 0.7 serving as a key indicator of persistent airflow limitation when supported by the appropriate clinical context.
Health awareness initiatives have further emphasized the importance of lung function assessment. For example, World COPD Day 2024 adopted the theme “Know Your Lung Function”, underscoring the need for broad access to dependable pulmonary testing.
Professional guidelines have also tightened. The ATS/ERS 2022 update reduced the within-session repeatability requirement for FEV1 and FVC from 200 mL to 150 mL, raising expectations for both accuracy and consistency in pulmonary diagnostics.
The combination of stricter clinical guidelines, rising diagnostic demands, and increasing public awareness underscores the urgent need for respiratory diagnostic solutions that deliver exceptional precision, reliability, and operational efficiency to meet both current and future healthcare requirements.
Cubic enables accuracy through cutting-edge gas sensing technologies
Meeting the needs of contemporary pulmonary diagnostics requires integrated systems based on established sensing technologies and that are supported by comprehensive development resources.
As an experienced OEM/ODM manufacturer, Cubic has utilized its proven technology platforms, such as NDIR, TDLAS, and ultrasonic, to deliver cutting-edge sensing solutions for medical and healthcare applications, including pulmonary function testing (PFT), cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), metabolism measurement, oxygen therapy, and ventilator and anesthesia monitoring.
To illustrate its pulmonary diagnostics capabilities, Cubic has developed the OEM/ODM PFT System for spirometry and diffusion capacity assessment.
Image Credit: Cubic Sensor and Instrument Co. Ltd
Cubic OEM/ODM PFT system: A showcase of sophisticated gas sensing technologies
By integrating two complementary gas sensing technologies, the Cubic OEM/ODM PFT System solution provides comprehensive respiratory testing capabilities.
Ultrasonic flow measurement captures airflow dynamics with exceptional accuracy, while NDIR multi-gas analysis measures breath composition in real time. Collectively, these form the foundation for OEM partners to develop pulmonary function testing solutions that meet the highest clinical standards.
Accurate flow measurement through ultrasonic technology
Precise spirometry relies on accurately measuring exhaled airflow and volume across a broad range of breathing maneuvers.
With Cubic's self-developed ultrasonic flow sensor, high accuracy is achieved by leveraging both ultrasonic technology and the time-of-flight principle. Two transducers alternately transmit and receive ultrasound signals in opposite directions through the exhaled air stream, determining flow velocity from travel-time differences measured with high precision.
Moving components are eliminated by the sensor’s no-contact architecture, preventing wear and drift commonly seen in mechanical flowmeters and reducing recalibration needs.
Its rapid response times and wide dynamic range allow both steady breathing and rapid forced expiratory maneuvers to be captured with equal precision, supporting comprehensive spirometry indices including FVC, FEV1, FEV6, PEF, and MVV.
Clinical settings require durable, dependable performance. The solid-state design of Cubic’s ultrasonic sensor maintains measurement stability under high-frequency testing conditions, while the wide flow range suits diverse patient populations ranging from pediatric to athletic individuals.
High-precision gas analysis through NDIR technology
When it comes to assessing diffusion capacity, Cubic integrates a proprietary non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor capable of concurrent multi-gas analysis during pulmonary function testing.
The NDIR gas sensor performs real-time measurement of carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in exhaled breath, providing crucial data for single-breath DLCO testing and evaluation of alveolar-capillary function.
High-accuracy measurements at reduced concentrations are achieved by detecting gas absorption at characteristic infrared wavelengths. An integrated microprocessor carries out signal conditioning, automatic calibration, and BTPS correction, ensuring consistent measurements under diverse conditions.
The optical design reduces cross-interference, while high-speed modulation and elevated signal-to-noise detection circuits deliver quick response and robust anti-interference performance.
By combining ultrasonic flow measurement with NDIR gas analysis, the Cubic OEM/ODM PFT System solution offers a complete gas-sensing foundation for cutting-edge pulmonary function testing. This approach provides the accuracy, stability, and clinical adaptability necessary for both spirometry and diffusion capacity assessment in a single, scalable platform.
Supporting equipment for system validation and calibration
While sensor performance is essential to measurement accuracy, the entire diagnostic system also plays a crucial role.
To ensure comprehensive system validation, Cubic provides calibration and testing equipment engineered to verify performance across the entire measurement chain. OEM modules and turnkey products serve as supporting tools to assist partners with validation, manufacturing calibration, and quality assurance.
The Breathing Simulator replicates physiological breathing patterns to validate spirometry and diffusion measurement systems. Its precision motor drives a servo-controlled piston capable of simulating square, sinusoidal, or trapezoidal flow waveforms, as well as user-defined patterns.
The device accommodates both positive and negative pressure cycles to mimic inhalation and exhalation, producing controlled airflows up to 20 L/second and volumes reaching 10 L.
Automatic testing sequences allow continuous operation and programmable waveform generation in accordance with ATS/ISO standards, including volume-time and flow-time test protocols defined in ATS-24 and ATS-26.
With gas temperature maintained at 37 °C ± 2 °C and relative humidity at 92 % ± 5 %, the device replicates human respiratory conditions for BTPS correction, ensuring repeatable performance validation and supporting factory calibration or R&D test conditions.
For routine calibration and verification, Cubic provides a 3 L precision syringe compliant with ATS/ERS standards. This device allows rapid confirmation of spirometer flow and volume precision and provides a stable, reproducible standard for daily system checks.
Together with Cubic’s gas sensors, these validation tools help ensure end-to-end quality, from sensor performance to system integration, throughout development and manufacturing.
The advantages of Cubic: Comprehensive OEM/ODM partnership solutions
As respiratory diagnostic standards evolve and clinical demands intensify, medical device manufacturers require partners that can deliver innovative sensing technologies along with comprehensive development support.
With more than twenty years of experience in precision measurement solutions and gas-sensing innovation, Cubic serves as a proven and trusted partner for healthcare providers seeking cutting-edge respiratory testing capabilities. The company’s OEM and ODM services span everything from fundamental sensor development to comprehensive system integration.
Supported by a vertically integrated model covering each stage of development, from sensor innovation to product realization, Cubic’s OEM/ODM framework is built on self-developed gas sensing technologies, including NDIR, TDLAS, and ultrasonic platforms. These technologies ensure accuracy, stability, and long-term reliability for high-performance medical and healthcare applications.
In addition, Cubic maintains the in-house production of core gas sensors and key components, where crucial processes, including optical assembly, calibration, and electronic integration, are carried out under stringent quality control to ensure both consistency and traceability.
Beyond core gas sensing technologies and production, Cubic offers supply chain integration that manages component sourcing and logistics to facilitate scalable and cost-effective manufacturing.
Its hardware and structural engineering teams help partners develop optimized mechanical layouts and compact module architectures, while software development capabilities streamline the integration of data collection, analysis, and visualization into hospital information systems.
Cubic assists partners in verifying measurement precision and system dependability through prototype testing and validation under simulated operating conditions. Mold development services further enable enclosure customization and product differentiation for various clinical and market applications.
Through the combination of self-developed sensing technologies, in-house production, and full-cycle development support, Cubic provides versatile, collaborative OEM/ODM solutions. These capabilities speed up product development and ensure cutting-edge pulmonary diagnostic systems reach the market with confidence.
Concurrently, its worldwide sales and service network offers responsive technical support and localized expertise during implementation and operational stages.
With its integrated capabilities, global presence, and continuous commitment to innovation, Cubic stands as a long-term partner offering versatile, end-to-end solutions that address the needs of medical and healthcare device manufacturers around the world.
References and further reading:
- Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (2024). 2024 REPORT Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. (online) Available at: https://goldcopd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GOLD-2024_v1.2-11Jan24_WMV.pdf.
- Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease - GOLD. World COPD Day 2024. (online) Available at: https://goldcopd.org/world-copd-day-2024/.
- World Health Organisation (2024). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). (online) World Health Organisation. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd).
- American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society (2024) Spirometry Implementation Quick Glance Guide. (online) Available at: https://www.lung.org/getmedia/d53c0e59-f3ab-435a-bcaa-a6a195b6b565/Spirometry-quick-glance-guide.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
About Cubic Sensor and Instrument Co. Ltd
Cubic Sensor and Instrument Co., Ltd. (Cubic) is a publicly listed company in SSE STAR Market (stock code:688665), specializing in smart gas sensors and superior gas analyzers. Set up in 2003, situated at “Optics Valley” of Wuhan, China, Cubic has established gas sensing technology platforms including optical technologies (NDIR, Ultraviolet, Light Scattering, Laser Raman), ultrasonic technology, MEMS metal oxide semiconductor (MOX) technology, electrochemical technology, ceramic thick-film technology-based high-temperature solid electrolyte technology and so on. At present, Cubic has obtained more than 100 patents home and aboard, with abundant products widely used in various fields of air quality, environmental monitoring, industrial processes, industrial safety monitoring, healthcare, smart metering and so on.
Cubic has a provincial-level enterprise technology center and a gas analysis instrumentation engineering technology research center in Hubei Province of China. At the same time, Cubic energetically participates in the national technological innovation system and has successively obtained many national and provincial projects which support Cubic incessant innovations. Those projects contain the National Major Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Project, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Internet of Things Development Special Project, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Strong Foundation Engineering Sensor "One-stop" Project, the Ministry of Science and Technology Science and Technology Boost the Economy 2020 Key Special Project, and the Hubei Province Technical Innovation Major Project, etc. Cubic has been regarded as a major gas sensor manufacturer and representative enterprise by industry authorities at home and abroad and won the "Most Influential IoT Sensor Enterprise Award" by the China Internet of Things Industry Alliance.
With decade-long dedications in technical innovations, strict quality control, and global business strategies, Cubic, as a leading manufacturer of high-quality gas sensors and sensor solutions, has obtained the recognition of many well-known Fortune 500 companies as well as other domestic and overseas leading companies in different fields. Cubic products have been exported to more than 80 countries and regions, besides, Cubic is moving towards a higher target to be the international brand in the field of gas sensors.
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