Stories
R&D: Wearables
Technology Leaders: Design
Technology Leaders: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Biologics and personalized medicine are increasingly becoming more popular — causing the biomanufacturing industry to change. Instead of sticking to large-scale production...
Technology Leaders: Materials
As the medical device industry continues to grow rapidly, manufacturers must contend with a variety of challenges if they wish to differentiate products in a highly...
Briefs: Medical
Arc welding and additive manufacturing are hugely important for creating large metal components relatively inexpensively and quickly. New research by a...
Technology Leaders: Imaging
CT scanners have far greater accuracy than x-ray technology but place more demands on patients. Getting the high precision, three-dimensional images necessary for accurate diagnosis...
Briefs: Materials
By using an electrochemical etching process on a common stainless-steel alloy, researchers have created a nanotextured surface that kills bacteria while not harming...
Features: Medical
Infrared surgical lasers, e.g., CTH:YAG @ 2100 nm and TM:YAG @ 2000 nm, are wonderful tools for minimally invasive surgery such as laser vaporization of hyperplastic prostate...
Features: Medical
The definition of a disposable device can vary. At one end of the spectrum are completely disposable, single-use devices that are designed for use on one patient...
Technology Leaders: Medical
For many medical device manufacturers, the application of proprietary coatings and surface treatments can play a critical role in differentiating their products as...
Briefs: Medical
Researchers at Arizona State University have made potentially game-changing progress in the emerging realms of 3D printing and additive manufacturing — an advance that could have a...
R&D: Robotics, Automation & Control
New 'Box' Sterilizes Surgical Instruments
A mobile container from Rice University sterilizes surgical instruments in low-resource settings. The "Sterile Box," built into a standard 20-foot steel shipping container, houses a water system for decontamination and a solar-powered autoclave for steam sterilization.
Briefs: Medical
A team of researchers led by the University of Colorado has determined that carbon-fiber composites, which are stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, can be easily and cost-effectively...
Briefs: Medical
Graphene, which was discovered in 2004, is 1 million times thinner than a human hair, 300 times stronger than steel, and is the best known conductor of heat and...
Applications: Medical
Heavy-duty gas springs are often used to replace or supplement human power when lifting or lowering heavy loads such as lids, hoods, and flaps in construction and...
Applications: Energy
Technological advancements are making medical devices increasingly feature-rich and miniaturized: two performance characteristics that are inherently...
R&D: Medical
Lightweight Metal Foam Blocks Radiation
A strong, lightweight metal foam created by a North Carolina State University researcher absorbs the energy of high-impact collisions and effectively blocks X-rays, gamma rays, and neutron radiation. The device offers new shielding possibilities for use in CT scanners.
Features: Medical
Oncology nurses, compounding pharmacists, and others who handle hazardous drugs, such as chemotherapy drugs, are put at risk of exposure. This is due to the...
Briefs: Materials
A team of researchers at Yale University assessed the “criticality” of all 62 metals on the Periodic Table of Elements, and developed key insights into which materials might...
R&D: Medical
Sound waves passing through the air, objects that break a body of water and cause ripples, or shockwaves from earthquakes all are considered “elastic” waves. These waves travel at the...
Features: Tubing & Extrusion
According to Henry David Thoreau, “the path of least resistance leads to crooked rivers and crooked men.” But in plastic injection molding, it leads to balanced filling patterns, more...
Briefs: Medical
High-Density, Homogenous Bacterial Spore Distributions on Test Surfaces
Thus far, spore transfer had been successful from the polycarbonate membrane onto stainless steel, aluminum, and to some extent, glass. In order to image the endospores under an ESEM (environmental scanning electron microscope), the spores were transferred onto a...
Applications: Medical
ToughWare Prosthetics, an engineering and design group dedicated to developing innovative new assistive technologies, helps satisfy the global need for prosthetic devices that are...
Briefs: Medical
Implantable Prosthetic Interface Securely Integrates With Bone and Soft Tissue
A main limitation in deployment of prosthetic technology is the integration of the prosthetic device into the body. Using current procedures, effective prosthetic integration often requires 18 months and multiple surgeries. A new technique involves merging tissue...
Briefs: Medical
Advanced medical device designs are evolving rapidly and demand higher standards for medical equipment reliability. Applying linear motion components to these medical applications yields the...
Applications: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A device manufacturer was trying to design a complicated dose delivery monitoring system for an inhaler. The monitoring system is meant to rectify a significant...
Top Stories
INSIDER: Materials
3D Printed Hydrogel Dressings Speed and Improve Healing
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Soft, Ultrathin Photonic Material Cools Wearable Electronic Devices
INSIDER: Medical
Breaking Barriers in Drug Delivery with Better Lipid Nanoparticles
Quiz: Wearables
Medical Technology on the PGA Tour
INSIDER: Connectivity
Wearable Ultrasound Patch Goes Completely Cable-Free
Features: Materials
Ask the Expert
Eric Dietsch on the Benefits of Nitinol Wire
In collaboration with the Fort Wayne Metals Engineering team, Eric Dietsch focuses on supporting customers with material recommendations, product development, and education. Eric is available to help you and your company with any Nitinol-related questions or needs that you may have.
Webcasts
Webinars: Medical
Scan-Based and Project Design for Medical
Podcasts: Medical
Here's an Idea: Medtech’s New Normal
Podcasts: Medical
Here's an Idea: A Plant-Based Gel That Saves Lives
Webinars: Electronics & Computers
Adaptable Healthcare Solutions Designed for Safety and Security
Podcasts: AR/AI
Webinars: Wearables
Inside Story
Rapid Precision Prototyping Program Speeds Medtech Product Development
Rapid prototyping technologies play an important role in supporting new product development (NPD) by companies that are working to bring novel and innovative products to market. But in advanced industries where products often make use of multiple technologies, and where meeting a part’s exacting tolerances is essential, speed without precision is rarely enough. In such advanced manufacturing—including the medical device and surgical robotics industries — the ability to produce high-precision prototypes early in the development cycle can be critical for meeting design expectations and bringing finished products to market efficiently.