Prototyping/​Rapid Prototyping

2021 Resource Guide

Our 2021 Resource Guide shows you the top manufacturers in materials, manufacturing, and a range of other medical-device categories.

The Importance of Rapid Innovation Amid COVID-19

The advent of COVID-19 has added a layer of complexity to product development. Agility is more important than ever as it has made it critical to get products to market quickly. While...

From the Editor - Fighting COVID-19: The Secret to Designing a Noninvasive Ventilator in Just Five Weeks

See how medtech companies are trying to get more ventilators on the market.

User Interface Development Tools Speed Time to Market for More Intuitive Products

Medical device developers are providing more options through intuitive user interfaces (UIs).

Product Focus: Molding

Micromolded components, liquid silicone rubber, 3D printing materials, and more.

High-Tech Printing May Help Eliminate Painful Shots

Engineers have created tiny needles that mimic parasites that attach to skin and could replace hypodermic needles.

New Tech Takes Radiation Out of Cancer Screening

A new, inexpensive technology could save lives and money by routinely screening women for breast cancer without exposure to radiation.

New Products & Services: May 2020 Medical Design Briefs

Position sensors, power clamps, CT scanners, and more.

Micromolding: Achieving Exacting Medical Device Manufacturing Requirements

Micromolding can be seen as the latest technological innovation that enables the design, manufacture, and clinical use of groundbreaking medical devices.

Prototype Patch Acts Like Heart Tissue

The patch mimics electrical signaling of the heart.

Leading Women in Engineering & Science: Making their Mark in Medical History

This feature presents insights from industry leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, and those inspiring other women through education.

Medical Design Briefs: 2019 Technology Leaders

Learn about 2019's stand-out manufacturers and cutting-edge applications in special metals, coatings, robotics, and more.

Reimagining Innovation: Additive Manufacturing

In the injectable drug-delivery industry, expectations for improved patient experiences with administration and at-home delivery of therapeutic regimens are evolving. Products that combine the...

Want a Magnetized Medical Robot? Just 3D Print It

A microrobot can take up to 8 hours to make. With the help of a 3D printer, University of Toronto engineers got the process down to 20 minutes

Digital Manufacturing Helps Medtech Firm's Goal to Improve Patient Outcomes

As often happens in the medical industry, innovative ideas hatched in university research settings spawn innovative companies, which create innovative products. A...

Demystifying Technology Transfer in Medical Device Contract Manufacturing

For medical device developers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the transition from prototype to commercial-scale production with a contract...

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?

Digital Manufacturing Helps Revolutionize Surgical Stapler

Modern science has allowed surgeons to fix the human body amazingly fast yet leave behind only small traces where repairs were performed. One of the more commonly used methods to...

Adapting Prototyping to Meet Rapid Advances in Medical Device Designs

Rapid prototyping has long played a vital role in the evolution of medical device technology. Effectively applied during a product's early design stages, it can generate...

Sound-Off: What 3D-Printing Method is Best – FDM, SLS, or SLA?

A Tech Briefs reader asks our expert to compare three 3D-printing techniques.

Optimizing Performance and Value of Medical Devices with the Right Plastic Processing Technology

Engineering thermoplastics are widely used to manufacture a broad range of medical devices, from single-use syringes and applicators to...

The 3D Printing Landscape: Then and Now

Frequently used as a design validation and prototyping tool in its early days, the 3D printer now supports a much wider range of applications, from shape-conforming electronics to the creation of...

Developing Heat-Free Soldering Using Micro Drops of Liquid Metal

Martin Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State University, and his research group are using materials expertise to study soft matter,...

3D Printing Metals Suspended in Midair

A team of engineers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) say that a new form of 3D printing and laser...

UPS Launches On-Demand 3D Printing Manufacturing Network

UPS, Atlanta, GA, announced that it is launching a distributed, on-demand manufacturing network that links its global logistics network with 3D printers at The UPS Store^®...

3D Printing a Perfectly Fitting Prosthetic Socket

A masters student in product development at the School of Engineering at Lund University, Sweden, Emelie Strömshed,has developed a step-by-step process to combine prosthetic arm socket...