Design & Development Case Studies & White Papers

  1. PEEK, PEI, LSR, And Other Material Options For Medical Prototyping 9/11/2019

    Developing medical device parts is a high-stakes process, and material choice is an important decision. Five strong contenders include PEEK, PEI, and PPSU; polycarbonates; medical-grade liquid silicone rubber; and 3D-printed titanium and ABS-like WaterShed XC 11122. 

  2. Use Color Matching To Customize Molded Parts 8/28/2019

    Product designers often need their manufacturing suppliers to produce plastic injection-molded parts that are Pantone color-matched to company specifications. Protolabs' injection molding service offers custom color matching on customer-provided Pantone numbers and on customer-provided part samples.

  3. Health Of A Quality System: The Commitment To Quality 8/21/2019

    For medical device manufacturers, and FDA/ISO-registered facilities, the integrity of quality systems is critical. Ensuring the quality system is suitable, efficient, and effective for business needs and customers is a key focus. 

  4. A Novel Method For Chemical Recycling Of PLA Under Mild Conditions 8/14/2019

    Using the newly discovered process, different grades of PLA can be removed from a stream of commingled plastics and broken down to give high value chemicals. 

  5. Advancing Bioabsorbable Scaffolds With Polymer Technology 8/14/2019

    Treating CAD with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BRS) is considered by many to be the “next revolution” in endovascular therapy. This paper presents the basics of BRS technology, its processing and manufacturing challenges, and its advantages in use with polymer technologies.

  6. Why Emerging Markets Deserve More From Medical Device OEMs  8/14/2019

    Increased GDP and greater income per capita in developing countries means patients are becoming more proactive about their health. As a result, they can afford higher quality treatment plans and devices.

  7. Tie Layer: A Breakthrough Solution To Catheter Failure 8/14/2019

    Product engineers at catheter manufacturing companies will be only too aware of the problem of delamination – the separation of material layers within the catheter.  The solution lay in the design of an additional material layer between the inner etched PTFE liner and the outer jacket material of the catheter. This extra layer would deliver the crucial adhesion required to prevent delamination, ideally without increasing the outer diameter of the finished catheter.

  8. Focus On Polyimides For Medical Applications 8/14/2019

    Polyimides (PIs) occupy a particular place in commercial plastics because of their ability to tolerate and function in extremely high temperatures. This white paper discusses PI properties, their structure, and how they are synthesized for use in extreme environment applications.

  9. How Design Aids Lead To Success 7/25/2019

    There are many aspects to the process of creating a wide variety of products, but they all have something in common at the beginning. You will need to understand this common element because it's the key to a successful design.

  10. Risk Mitigation Of Parenteral Packaging With Container Closure Integrity 7/17/2019

    Parenteral delivery systems are the highest risk packaging application concerning container closure integrity. Leaks that register in the single micron range can introduce a threat of bacterial ingress.