Manufacturing technology
Precision in motion
From micron-scale parts to fully automated cleanrooms, the future of medical device manufacturing is being reshaped by precision robotics, additive technologies and AI-driven inspections. Sachin Rawat speaks with Jay Lee of the University of Maryland and
Dustin Vaughan of Asensus Surgical about how these advances are enabling safer, faster and smarter production.
I
nside a pacemaker, several microparts work in tandem to keep the heart beating. It has a highly miniaturised circuit with various micron-scale components to detect cardiac signals, deliver electrical impulses to the heart and manage the pacing. All of these are packed in a case that is as small, or even smaller, than a pill.
Likewise, many medical and surgical devices have hundreds or thousands of microparts, with sizes in the micron to sub-millimetre ranges. Moreover, with a trend towards miniaturisation of medical devices, multiple micro-scale technologies need to be fit into tiny casings. For example, wearable sensors combine microfluidic channels and microelectronics into increasingly thin and stretchable interfaces. Miniaturisation, along with the development of minimally invasive surgeries and point-of-care diagnostics for an increasingly growing list of medical conditions, is pushing the demand for medical device microparts. Meeting this demand isn’t feasible without automating the manufacture and assembly of microparts. Manual operations on parts smaller than a millimetre lead to inconsistent and inefficient production, and increase the contamination risk, thereby jeopardising the safety of the final device. To mitigate these challenges, medical device manufacturers are automating their assembly lines with high-speed, high-precision machines capable of handling microparts.
52
Micron-level precision
The clinical utility of microparts often relies not just on being made to certain sizes but also on precise dimensional specifications. Orthopaedic implants, for example, can fail to fit or work properly unless they’re made with the exact dimensions and surface finish. Manufacturing these implants requires precisely cutting and welding materials into complicated, and often patient- specific, geometries that are difficult or impractical for manual operators to replicate.
Replicating this level of fine engineering at scale to meet the growing demand for medical devices is a daunting challenge. In response, manufacturers are deploying high-speed, high-precision assembly machines that can dexterously manipulate microparts while operating at thousands of moves per minute.
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
Dragon Claws/
Shutterstock.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130
