3D-Printed Tracheal Splints Used in Groundbreaking Pediatric Surgery

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has performed Georgia’s first-ever procedure to place 3D-printed tracheal splints in a pediatric patient. Biomedical engineers at the...

From the Editor — Apple’s Mobile Apps Break New Ground in Cloud of Controversy

In September, FDA granted de novo classification to two apps offered in the new Apple Watch Series 4, which the tech giant says have been “redesigned and...

Addressing Challenges in Personalized Medicine

Modern medicine has been able to drastically improve the quality of life of the global population. Diseases such as polio, syphilis, tuberculosis, or the plague have been almost eradicated and are...

EMC for Medical Devices: EN/IEC 60601-1-2, 4th Edition

The fourth edition IEC/EN 60601-1-2 (4th Edition) will become a mandatory standard covering safety for medical devices on December 31, 2018.1,2 As with any new standard edition, there are...

Miniature Connections Drive Advances in Emerging Neuro Technologies

The value of neuromodulation devices is that they offer a “third option” in the treatment of neurological disorders — one that can provide drug-free relief from symptoms...

Negative-Stiffness Vibration Isolation Facilitates Neuronal Research into Animal Learning and Memory

Micro- and nano-level microscopy, whether used in academic laboratories or industry, is susceptible to vibrations from the environment,...

Increase Dental Implant Longevity with Bio-functional TiN and DLC Coatings

Artificial dental implants are the most reliable restoration option available for mature tooth loss. Despite their long potential lifespan, poor integration into the jaw...

MR Coil for High-Quality Imaging

Researchers have developed and tested an MR coil for high-quality imaging of the whole mouse. Such coils are required for preclinical studies of drugs, as well as for targeted examination of various body...

Four-Step Plastic Testing Protocol: Making Informed Design and Material Decisions

Medical devices across the United States must not only keep pace with advances in technology but also with the increased use of harsh solvents and disinfectants....

Seven Steps to Successful Contract Manufacturing for the Medical Industry

Contract manufacturing, or outsourcing, has typically been associated with a company using an offshore manufacturer and lower labor rates to produce their products at a...

Product Focus: Specialty Metals

Round and Flat Wire Ulbrich, Westminster, SC, offers a fine wire stocking program for medical device developers who need round and flat wire quickly. Materials available include 304V, nitinol, tunga, L6050,...

Product of the Month

Additive Manufacturing Materials Victrex, Lancashire, UK has, developed a high-strength material for laser sintering (LS) that attains lower refresh rates, resulting in improved recycling for unsintered powder. Another...

Integrated Sensor Could Monitor Brain Aneurysm Treatment

Implantation of a stent-like flow diverter can offer one option for less-invasive treatment of brain aneurysms — bulges in blood vessels — but the procedure requires frequent...

Nanosized Traps Diagnosing Bacterial Infections

A new type of lab on a chip has the potential to become a clinical tool capable of detecting very small quantities of disease-causing bacteria in just minutes. The device is made of nanosized...

Training Artificial Intelligence with Artificial X-Rays

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds real potential for improving both the speed and accuracy of medical diagnostics. But before clinicians can harness the power of AI to identify conditions...

Microscale Superlubricity Improves Electromechanical Devices

Superlubricity — the state of ultra-low friction and wear — holds great promise for the reduction of frictional wear in mechanical and automatic devices.

Flexible Microrobots for Medical Tasks

A team of researchers has developed an integrated fabrication process that enables the design of soft robots on the millimeter scale with micrometer-scale features. To demonstrate the capabilities of their...

Improving Cancer Screening by Design

Every year, 50,000 Americans die from colorectal cancer, a common cancer that is easy to detect and can be effectively treated if caught in its earliest stages. Unfortunately, 38 percent of Americans...

Collaborative Robots Fill Automation Gaps For Medical Device Manufacturers

When small and mid-sized medical device manufacturers envision a robot, many think of either huge industrial robots working in fenced-off areas in large factories or...

Tailoring Plastics Joining Methods to DIVERSE Medical Device Needs

The European Commission defines personalized medicine as, “a medical approach tailored to the patient or a group of patients for prevention, prediction and treatment . . ....

New Products & Services

Gear Measurement Software Software from Werth, Giessen, Germany, enables the measurement of any involute gear, as well as worms, worm wheels, and face gears. The method can be used to measure internal and external...

Using Direct Current with Inverter Technology Reduces Costs and Improves Control

Resistance welding with direct current (DC) using inverter technology reduces costs by improving quality, reducing maintenance, and increasing productivity....

How Second Stage Speed Influences the Molding Process

Hold speed or hold velocity? How many machines today have it, and what does it do to the process?

Research Collaboration Could Reshape Injection Molding

As Ralph Colby peers at the microscope image in front of him, he thinks he can make them out — “shish kebabs,” as polymer scientists call them. Nobody knows for sure what they are,...

Ensuring Injection Molding Quality for Medical Devices

Plastics are incredibly versatile. There are thousands of types available to satisfy a myriad of medical applications. Yet, certain plastics present special challenges during the injection...

A New Generation of Artificial Retinas Based on 2D Materials

University of Texas at Austin,Austin, TXwww.utexas.eduSeoul National University,Seoul, South Koreawww.useoul.edu Scientists report they have successfully developed and tested the...

New Products and Services

Photo Etching A capabilities brochure from Tech-Etch, Plymouth, MA, describes how the photo etching process enables the company to produce prototype quantities and large production runs of intricate parts for many...