Materials/​Biomaterials

Medical Design Briefs: 2019 Technology Leaders

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

New Products and Services

External PSUs XP Power, Tokyo, Japan, has released two series of external power supplies that are intended for modern medical applications, including safety approvals for home-based healthcare, and IT applications...

Implants: Protective Membrane Reduces Tissue Buildup

Scientists have developed a special protective membrane made of cellulose that significantly reduces the buildup of fibrotic tissue around cardiac pacemaker implants, as reported in a recent...

Magnetic Metamaterial Could Improve MRIs

Researchers have developed a low-cost, “intelligent” metamaterial that could revolutionize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), making the entire MRI process faster, safer, and more accessible to...

3D Printed Plastics with High-Performance Electrical Circuits

Engineers have embedded high-performance electrical circuits inside 3D printed plastics, which could lead to better-performing biomedical implants. They used pulses of high-energy...

Options for Reducing Friction When Using Silicone Elastomers

Silicone has a long and proven history of use with medical devices and can provide many benefits, from flexibility to cushioning. When working with some medical devices, however,...

Adding Copper Strengthens 3D Printed Titanium

Successful trials of titanium-copper alloys for 3D printing could kickstart a new range of high-performance alloys for medical device and other applications.

Vote for the 2019 Annual Readers’ Choice Awards

Each month, the editors of Medical Design Briefs choose a Product of the Month that has exceptional technical merit and practical value for MDB's design engineering readers.

New Products & Services

Composite Tubing Polygon, Walkerton, IN, has released a high-performance composite tubing for surgical applications. PolyMed® composite tubing is ideal for use in a diverse array of medical applications such as...

Researchers Compare Shape-Memory Alloys

Researchers have compared two copper-based SMAs of the same composition but fabricated differently. After annealing, the samples were cooled at different rates. Then both samples were heated inside...

Bioresorbable Patch Offers New Alternative for Arterial Healing

When a patient experiences 70 percent or greater stenosis in the carotid artery — a condition that can cause lack of cerebral blood flow, stroke, and in some cases, death —...

Effects of Tube Processing on the Fatigue Life of Nitinol: Part 2

The long-term structural integrity of the substrate is critical for the development of medical devices approved for demanding cardiovascular applications such as transcatheter...

New 3D Printing Technique for Biomaterials

A new technique could be used to print soft biomaterials that could be used to repair defects in the body. The method offers an alternative to existing techniques that use gels that have been...

Innovations in Orthopedic Elastomers Enhance Durability and Appearance

The history of silicone rubber is synonymous with advancements in medical materials. Silicones, a family of biocompatible elastomers, provide an attractive balance of...

Artificial Skin Creates Ticklish Devices

A new interface takes touch technology to the next level by providing an artificial skin-like membrane for augmenting interactive devices such as phones, wearables, or computers.

New Silk Materials Can Wrinkle into Detailed Patterns, Then Unwrinkle to Be “Reprinted”

Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have developed silk materials that can wrinkle into highly detailed patterns — including words,...

New Printing Technique Produces ‘Living’ 4D Materials

Researchers have successfully merged 3D/4D printing with a chemical process to produce “living” resin, which has huge potential for applications including biomedicine. The new...

New Device Offers Unprecedented Accuracy for Eye Surgery

Scientists have helped develop a microscopic glass device that doctors could use to inject medicine into retinal veins with unprecedented accuracy. Their instrument meets an important...

Nylon Provides Building Block for Electronic Devices

Thin nylon films are several 100 times thinner than human hair and could thus be attractive for applications in bendable electronic devices or for electronics in clothing. The researchers...

Implantables to Augment Missing Body Tissue

Kanfit3D has entered into a joint research partnership with the University of Brescia (Italy). The project will develop unique implantable structures, using additive layer manufacturing (ALM)...

New Products & Services

Additives Color and additive concentrates from PolyOne, Avon Lake, NH, help manufacturers design and manufacture parts that appear to be covered with fabric, but without the hassle and cost of applying textiles....

Product of the Month

Materials Resource Guide I.W. Tremont, Hawthorne, NJ, has released an updated Diagnostic Device Materials Guide. The recently revised guide contains technical information as well as samples to help diagnostic and medical...

Hydrogel Adhesive Helps in Wound Healing

Cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, splinters, and punctures — there are a number of ways our skin can be broken. Most treatments for skin wounds involve simply placing a barrier over them (usually an...

A Strip You Can Rely On: Tips for Designing Blood Glucose Test Strips

When it comes to diabetes management, accurate blood glucose readings are paramount. And when it comes to generating accurate readings, the quality of the test strip is...

Researchers Develop Eco-Friendly Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives

Chemical engineering researchers at Oregon State University have developed a vegetable-oil-based adhesive that could provide an eco-friendly option in making items such as bandages,...

Hydrogel Fights Orthopedic Bone Infections

Researchers have a developed a double-duty hydrogel that both attacks the bacteria and encourages bone regrowth with a single application containing two active components.

Conductive Textiles Connect Multiple Wearables

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have invented a completely new way for wearable devices to interconnect. They incorporated conductive textiles into clothing to dynamically...

3 Areas of Innovation for Combination Medical Products

The combination of drugs with medical devices has the potential to take patient care in an entirely new direction. The power of these products is that they can deliver a precise amount of a...

Engineers 3D Print Flexible Mesh for Ankle and Knee Braces

Hearing aids, dental crowns, and limb prosthetics are some of the medical devices that can now be digitally designed and customized for individual patients, thanks to 3D printing....