Med-Tech Innovation Materials


Choosing Materials for MEDICAL DEVICES


Using the right materials can be critical to medical device performance. Dr Sarah Egan of Granta Design outlines technologies that can help designers with the important materials selection process.


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hen choosing materials for a new product, designers also need to consider the impact of this choice on factors such as biocompatibility, qualification, regulation and cost. Given the significance and complexity of materials selection for devices, best practice in this area has received surprisingly little attention. But this situation is changing and technologies that can save companies


18 ¦ November/December 2011


years of work are being increasingly used in the industry. Device designers typically use a range of methods to choose a material. The simplest is “doing what we did before,” that is, take a familiar material and apply it in the new situation, particularly if the application is similar to previous products. They may also ask colleagues, consultants or suppliers for advice. In addition, increasingly, they use resources such as online materials


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