Applications

Advancing Ablation Technology Using Simulation Science

Ablation, or the use of high-frequency electromagnetic (EM) energy to destroy soft-tissue tumors, has been in existence for a few decades, but in recent years its underlying technology has...

A Guide to Thermoforming Heavy-Gage, Complex Parts: From Material Selection to Custom Tooling

In many instances, thermoforming of heavy-gauge plastics (thicknesses of 1.5 mm/.060 in. or greater) is the technology of choice for manufacturers and...

Using Thermal Analysis to Develop a Better Vaccine Carrier System

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million infants and young children die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases such as pneumococcal disease...

Using Simulation Technology to Solve Bedsore Mystery

Each year, an estimated one million people suffer from painful bedsores in US hospitals across the country. These wounds are the result of long-term confinement to a bed or wheelchair, and...

Controlling Backlash in Mammography Systems

Medical imaging equipment, water handling systems, conveyors, robotic systems, and rotary and linear actuators are among the many devices that may be fitted with electric friction brakes to hold their...

Lasers: The Next Generation of Fetal Monitoring

Researchers have developed a novel monitoring system using optoacoustic technology to provide accurate, real-time measurement of cerebral venous blood oxygen saturation in fetuses during...

Grinding and Guidewires: Manufacturing for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Last year, more than 50 million surgical procedures were performed in the United States. As that number grows each year, the quantity of and preference for minimally invasive...

Locking Gas Springs Can Ensure Safety and Flexibility of a Medical System

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...

Powering Tomorrow’s Medicine: Critical Decisions for Batteries in Medical Applications

Technological advancements are making medical devices increasingly feature-rich and miniaturized: two performance characteristics that are inherently...

Actuation Technique for Miniature Robots Developed Using Multiphysics Simulation

Minimally invasive surgery depends on small, flexible tools with reliable actuation and consistent performance. Robotic devices have entered the operating room as...

Freedom from Lubrication Ensures a Clear View

Slit lamp biomicrography is paramount to the practice of ophthalmology, allowing for an inside look at various areas of the eye with a range of magnification levels and light sources. The...

Material Selection in a Complex Regulatory Environment

Understanding material selection trends and complying with the needs of governing regulatory agencies is fundamental to success in medical device production. As manufacturers set...

Micromolding Is Shaping the Future of Drug Delivery

An important movement within the medical device industry is poised to revolutionize the point-of-care (POC) drug delivery market. The goal at hand—making drug delivery devices more...

Microprocessor-Controlled Prostheses Are a Step in the Right Direction

It’s not always easy to walk in someone else’s shoes. It’s even more difficult if those shoes belong to a person with an artificial leg. However, that’s exactly what...

Simulating the Release Mechanism in Drug-Eluting Stents

Treating arteries in the heart that have been blocked by plaque is a common challenge for medical professionals. Known as stenosis, this condition restricts blood flow to the heart,...

Digitalization and 3D Printing Transforms Dentistry

Additive manufacturing can be used to create faster, more flexible, and more cost-effective development and production methods. Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is an additive manufacturing...

Battle of the Processors: A Guide to Next-Generation Medical Imaging Products

When eInfochips was commissioned by a client to build a next-generation portable endoscopy system, the company had to invest considerable thought in choosing the...

Liquid Silicone Rubber Finds Many Uses in Medical Applications

Material performance can be important in any application, but in medical equipment and devices, with lives and health at stake, it can be absolutely critical. A particular challenge...

Circulatory Support Without Surgery for Heart Failure Patients

A team of life science entrepreneurs in Houston, TX, has developed the first catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use to treat chronic heart failure....

Hydraulic Prosthetic Knee Joints Provide More Natural Mobility for Patients

For patients who have lost a leg, regaining mobility is a top priority. However, development of more true-to-nature prosthetic limbs and joints has come an amazingly...

Integrated Technologies Take Medical Device Development to the Next Level

According to the Journal of Patient Safety, a whopping 210,000 to 440,000 deaths attributable to medical errors occur in hospitals every year. Clearly, there is a...

Cleanliness of PCB Assemblies Leads to Device Reliability

Component manufacturers are continually developing new and smaller packages for components that are mere fractions of a millimeter and have board to component clearances of less than a...

Specialty Absorbable Polymer Materials Enable Innovative Medical Device Platforms

Since the first marketed synthetic absorbable suture in the 1960s, absorbable medical materials have developed into a burgeoning industry. By reducing the need...

Collaborative Relationships with Molders Key to Creating Effective Fluid-Handling Components

As medical devices continue to become more complex, OEMs must continue to seek strategic partnerships with manufacturers that enable them to meet...

When Nature Gives Up, Engineering Can Give Hearts a Hand

The human heart is more than a symbol of life, power, and reliability—it is a wonder of engineering achievement: a dual pump able to feed two different systems (pulmonary and...

3D Visualization Technology Can Improve Operational Efficiencies

The complex technologies, chemistry, and regulations involved in manufacturing medical products have always made it one of the most challenging businesses. Yet, despite the...

Material Property Simulation Offers Longer-Lasting Spinal Disc Implants

One of the most promising surgical options for treating spinal injury and deterioration of spinal discs is the use of artificial discs to replace the patient’s natural...

BLE and Beacon Technology: Great Potential in the Medical Market

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) forms part of the Bluetooth V4.0 specification that has been ratified by the Bluetooth SIG since June 2010. But, in the last 12 months, it has begun to...

Automating and Accelerating Telemetry Device Testing

The value of highly accurate, automated, and measurable testing for medical devices cannot be overestimated. As devices become more complex, and patient care becomes increasingly...