Company insight
The medical business unit within Alleima manufactures extremely small and complex wire-based components for minimally invasive surgeries and remote monitoring medical devices.
Smaller medical devices Another notable trend in the medical device field market is miniaturisation. Smaller medical devices allow for less invasive procedures, less trauma during surgeries and shorter recovery times. As devices get smaller, Alleima keeps up with market trends through continuous research and development in metallurgy and process development.
The miniaturisation of medical devices often requires ultra-fine wire and wire-based components. Many of these implantable miniaturised medical devices need to last for years or even a lifetime, meaning the medical wire components require excellent fatigue resistance and must be reliable and accurate in sensing changes and transmitting real-time data. Depending on the application, an ultra-fine wire may need to be tightly coiled, incorporate multifilar wire constructions, or be cut or ground beyond what many medical device manufacturers have in-house. In addition to the wire itself, its coating must be biocompatible and thin enough for use in a miniaturised device, whilst still maintaining the desired insulation and/or lubrication properties.
“The future of medical devices requires innovating in new ways that are outside the comfort zone of R&D for most OEMs. Smaller devices allow for more targeted therapy and are less invasive. For
suppliers, this means a greater challenge. Smaller devices means that a higher level of precision is needed in manufacturing the device’s components”, says Dr Cacie McDorman, engineering manager at the Alleima manufacturing unit in Palm Coast, Florida, the US. Today, Alleima partners with medical device OEMs due to its expertise in materials selection, finding the right coating for the application or designing a unique component. Did you know that finding the right coating is one of the main issues when designing a medical wire-based component? This was discovered in a survey at a webinar held by Alleima about coatings and surface treatments. Not identifying the correct coating for an application from the very beginning can significantly slow down the time to market.
Nitinol and sensor wire Nitinol, the shape-memory alloy comprised of nickel and titanium, has been causing a stir in the medical technology industry for some years. How can its unique properties be used in the medical devices of the future? One interesting area is surgical robots. Today, the setup time for a surgical robot in the operating room is still rather long. Additionally, the applications for these
Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
robots are limited due to their rigidity and numerous hinges. These obstacles will be overcome by the next generation of surgical robotics: soft robotics. “These flexible, hingeless robotics will be able to be inserted even deeper in the body and therefore address today’s unmet needs. In combination with this new generation of robotic devices, there will be a high demand for extremely flexible instruments that are applied through the working channels. This is exactly where the material nitinol comes into place and enables innovative endoscopic possibilities,” explains Dr. Bernd Vogel, global technology and innovation manager at the medical unit of Alleima. Vogel has dedicated his whole working life to the alloy nitinol and is a well-known expert in processing nitinol to advanced geometries. Alleima, which designed and developed customised medical sensor wires for years, is now looking into combining this sensing capability with the flexible characteristics of nitinol to benefit both patients and healthcare providers. This will be key in future smart medical devices as they continue to evolve and utilise technologies such as cloud computing and AI. Just imagine what this combination will bring to the healthcare industry. ●
www.alleima.com/exera 99
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