Manufacturing & Packaging News

1. SMC Ltd. Announces Expansion For Costa Rica Facility 4/7/2021

   SMC Ltd. announced the expansion of its Facility in Costa Rica. With continued growth, SMC’s Costa Rica newest expansion allows for additional clean room molding and contract manufacturing capacity. The expansion will double its current facility bringing it to 120,000 square feet in the Coyol Free Zone Park in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

2. Rapid 3D Printing In Water Using Novel Hybrid Nanoparticles Holds Promise For Old And New Industries 8/1/2017

   Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have developed a new type of photoinitiator for three-dimensional (3D) printing in water.

3. Obamacare Replacement Will Permanently Remove Medical Device Tax 3/9/2017

   Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have unveiled proposed legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which, among several tax cuts, will eliminate permanently the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices and products.

4. India To Split Med Device Industry From Pharma, Revisit Free Trade Agreements 2/14/2017

   Moves under consideration include separation of medtech from its pharmaceutical industry, increased government funding for the medtech industry, and the renegotiation of existing free trade agreements (FTAs) with other countries. The device industry also is asking the government to recognize local regulatory certifications, in addition to the currently accepted FDA approval from the U.S.

5. Wearable THz Scanning Device For Inspection Of Medical Equipment, Human Body 11/17/2016

   Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a portable and wearable terahertz scanning device made using arrays of carbon nanotubes, for applications including non-invasive inspection of equipment such as syringes, and imaging of cancer cells, blood clots, and teeth. The findings are published in Nature Photonics, November 2016.

6. Thinfilm Launches Medical Device Communication Platform 7/8/2016

   Norwegian printed electronics maker Thinfilm has partnered with an unidentified Fortune 500 pharmaceutical firm to build a near-field communication (NFC) platform for medical devices to help patients adhere to treatment regimens and connect with healthcare providers.

7. 3D-Printed Camera Small Enough To Be Injected Through a Syringe 7/1/2016

   German scientists have produced a camera, using additive manufacturing with a femtosecond laser printer, capable of building free-form optics. Researchers claim that technology opens possibilities for micro- or nano-optical devices, such as endoscopes and mini-robots with autonomous vision, and paves the way for a “paradigm shift” in medical imaging that could be injected into the body through a syringe.

8. Cancer Moonshot Initiative To Speed Cancer Research, Treatment 6/30/2016

   United States Vice President Joe Biden led the National Cancer Moonshot Summit in Washington, D.C. to call on patients, families, advocacy groups, researchers, scientists, physicians, organizations, and companies to work together in accelerating the diagnosis, treatment, and research toward cures for cancer.

9. 3D-Printing Method Uses Multiple Materials At Once, Expands Personalized Medicine Options 4/13/2016

   Researchers from Dresden have introduced additive manufacturing (AM) technology that can work with multiple materials at the same time, giving greater design flexibility to the 3D printing process. Their technique — which can work with any combination of plastic, glass, ceramics, or metal — would allow for the quicker production of more complex and personalized bone implants, dentures, or surgical tools.

10. imec, Holst Centre Unveil Time-Based ECG Readout Chip For Wearable Applications 3/1/2016

    Nanoelectronics research center imec and Holst Centre, an open-innovation initiative set-up by imec and TNO, today presented a 0.6V ECG readout chip in 40nm technology based on time-domain circuit techniques. The chip maintains consistent beat detection capabilities, even under movement (~40mVpp), paving the way to a low cost, low power multi-sensor Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) solution for wearable medical applications.