From the Editor - Welcome to the Inaugural Medical Design Briefs Resource Guide

As the pace of innovation accelerates across the medical device industry, staying informed on core technologies and market trends is more important than ever. With that in mind, we are proud to introduce the 2025 summer edition of the Medical Design Briefs Resource Guide — a new, semi-annual issue designed to deliver essential insights into the components, materials, and services that power medical device development and manufacturing.

Replacing the traditional Buyers Guide, this editorially curated Resource Guide goes beyond listings to provide engineers, designers, and decision-makers with valuable, data-driven content. Each of the seven featured sections includes a main article, offering expert analysis, market data, or emerging trends in a specific technology segment — from robotics and automation to tubing, connectors, and materials. In many cases, these articles are complemented by an exclusive Inside Story, offering deeper context or perspectives from leading industry suppliers.

This issue explores how contract manufacturing is evolving into a strategic asset for OEMs navigating cost pressures and regulatory complexity. It examines the expanding demands on connectors and cables as devices become smarter, smaller, and more connected. Readers can also explore quality and performance standards for film cast PTFE tubing in catheter design.

Looking ahead, the guide outlines key manufacturing technologies shaping industry workflows in 2025, highlights the sustainability goals of materials providers, and examines how robotics and automation are redefining efficiency and precision on the production floor. It also addresses major test and measurement regulatory changes that are reshaping compliance strategies.

This Resource Guide is designed for long-term utility. It is not just a snapshot of today’s landscape, but a reference that supports your work throughout the year — whether you’re evaluating vendors, benchmarking capabilities, or exploring trends in your specific market segment. We encourage you to return to this guide as both a planning tool and a source of inspiration as new challenges and opportunities arise.

Whether you’re specifying a component, refining a manufacturing process, or planning your next product launch, this guide offers a road map to the tools and technologies that will define the future of medtech. We invite you to explore each section — and use the insights within to support smarter, faster, and more resilient product development.

Sherrie Trigg

Editor and Director of Medical Content