All articles by Blatha
Blatha
Plug the gap
The medical device connector market is evolving rapidly thanks to growth in the home healthcare sector and increased adoption of miniaturised medical devices. Patrick Kingsland explores the latest innovations and asks what medical device OEMs should look for when choosing a connector supplier.
The ins and outs
For medical devices, Brexit is coming at an inopportune time, says GlobalData. EU directives are currently transitioning to a new Medical Devices Regulation and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation, which are already having a profound impact on the medical devices industry and on the availability of medical devices to EU citizens.
Perfect printing
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are complex and often fraught with challenges in the design stage and when the final product is in use. However, many of these issues can be avoided during the design and manufacture phase. A circuit board failure is not desirable for any device, but in those that are potentially supporting life they can be catastrophic. Emma Green considers the advantages and costs of different PCB technologies, including the application of wireless flexible printed circuit boards for developing wearable medical devices.
Winds of change
The EU Medical Device Regulation is the most dramatic legislative reform for the sector since the mid-90s, and it is now in effect, although the industry is still in the midst of a transition period. Professor Herman Pieterse, of the University of Ghent and Profess Medical Consultancy, outlines the considerable demands being made on device companies and how they are adapting to change.
Fantastic voyage
Tiny robots travelling around inside the human body with a degree of autonomy, capturing images and helping with diagnosis; like so much of modern medicine, what was fantastical science fiction only a few decades ago is now a fast-approaching reality. Tim Gunn talks to mechanical engineer Dr Mark Rentschler, from the University of Colorado Boulder, about his work on robotic endoscopies.
Breaking the mould
Medical device manufacturers are under pressure to produce innovative, high-tech products in increasingly greater volumes. Injection moulding represents an indispensable part of the manufacturing process, and due to the specialist skills and equipment required, it is highly likely to be outsourced. Medical Device Developments explores how selective laser melting can improve the efficiency of the injection-moulding process, without sacrificing quality.
Scratch the surface
Biocompatibility, durability and infection resistance are important factors for all medical devices, but especially for implants. With these devices, it’s crucial to pick the right coating or the device could be rejected by the body. In this round-up, Emily Gibbs explores some of the latest innovations in implant coatings, from diamonds to synthetic silk.
Tip the balance
As price pressures increase, medical device makers need to rethink product development processes. Design to value (DTV) can help get costs under control – and deliver exactly what customers are looking for. McKinsey & Company’s Sastry Chilukuri, Michael Gordon, Chris Musso and Sanjay Ramaswamy explain.
The canny valley
The market for silicon adhesives continues to grow, more than 60 years after first coming into use in the medical device sector. What makes this material so popular, what are the latest trends and innovations, and how can medical device companies make sure they are utilising its full benefits, asks Patrick Kingsland.
Expand and contract
The contract manufacturing landscape has dramatically shifted in recent years, with a wave of consolidation among OEMs and contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs). As larger CMOs become the new normal, what are the implications for the industry as a whole? Elan Nat, associate director of the healthcare group at S&P Global, offers an insight following research the ratings company has conducted into this fast-paced sector.