Contract manufacturing
metal in mind Designing with
Medical device manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to gain an edge in a competitive global marketplace. But the pressure to drive innovation often results in a narrow focus on the product and less emphasis on the methods by which it’s made. Nicholas Eidem, Advanced Powder Products director of business development, explains why it’s important to design products with a mode of production in mind.
he origins of metal injection moulding date back to the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the process started to grow in use. Even after experiencing success during this period, it didn’t become a commercially viable choice for manufacturers until the late 1990s. Now, many of the top medical device OEMs are using MIM to manufacture components used in surgical instrumentation, robotic surgery, dental and orthodontic equipment, drug delivery systems, implants, and multiple orthopaedic applications. Despite this impressive resume, many engineers are still hesitant or unfamiliar with incorporating MIM into their designs over conventional processes they are accustomed to, such as computer numerical control (CNC) machining. What they may not realise is that MIM has many advantages over CNC machining, including material flexibility, scalability,
T Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
design freedom, and most importantly component cost. But realising the advantages of MIM requires a strategic approach to component design, and once a part is designed for machining or another manufacturing process, it is often too late to switch.
How does MIM work?
The process of MIM works similarly to micro injection moulding plastic parts, but uses metal powders mixed with polymers to form them instead. The tooling and equipment used to process MIM components are virtually identical, and engineers accustomed to plastics will see familiar equipment in a MIM production factory. Another contrast between plastic and MIM moulding is that there’s more variation in the quality of end products with the latter. This is because the MIM process requires additional steps that are unique and predicated more
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Advanced Powder Products
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