Medical Device Manufacturing
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES
-
Best Practices Handling Material Changes For Medical Devices
Despite the best intentions of procurement, suppliers may impose changes in the availability of material grades. Have a process for controlling and mitigating the effects of material changes in order to reduce risk and avoid interruption.
The laboratory information management system (LIMS) landscape in 2024 is a dynamic one, driven by accelerating advancements in technology and evolving industry needs. This article shares the four key trends.
Read the second part of this series on the most common questions encountered by an expert focused in scientific affairs and technical solutions for glass.
The ASTM E55 Cleaning Team, in collaboration with F04 Medical Device Committee members, felt that the commonly used three-level criticality system was inadequate for use in a science- and risk-based standard for cleaning process development, validation, and monitoring. This article will provide a detailed discussion of how science-based and data-driven criticality levels were derived, the meaning of each level, and how they can be used for guiding the selection of risk reduction and risk control measures.
In the bio/pharma and medical device industries, operating procedures guide virtually every activity and are required for compliance with good manufacturing practices. Minimizing procedure execution failures is critical. To do so, you can use relational risk analysis (ReRA).
WHITE PAPERS & CASE STUDIES
-
Using FT-IR To Identify Unknown Contaminants
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) is a reliable method with multiple applications when it comes to identifying both intrinsic and extrinsic compounds in a drug product.
While in their early-stage development of a mAb biosimilar for oncology treatment, a large biopharmaceuticals company sought a packaging recommendation: a stopper to maintain high-quality standards.
Explore the types of non-magnetic surface-mount device (SMD) capacitors, including trimmer capacitors, that are crucial for maintaining reliability and optimal performance in POC MRI machines.
Medical device manufacturers must prioritize process validation to ensure safe and effective performance. Neglecting this can lead to severe consequences. This article covers essential elements of process validation due diligence.
New automation technologies in manufacturing have made it possible to minimize errors, leading to improved patient safety, cost savings, and faster turnaround. Micro-manufacturing and 3D printing are also contributing to game-changing innovations.
ABOUT MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURING
Medical device manufacturing includes all aspects of the fabrication of a medical device, from designing a manufacturing process to scale-up to ongoing process improvements. It also includes the sterilization and packaging of a device for shipment.
Throughout the manufacturing process, medical device makers strive to be faster and more efficient, but they also wish to be responsible corporate citizens. Thus, manufacturing demands constant insight into renewable resources, sustainable materials, equipment that is more energy efficient, and methods to reduce waste creation. Solutions to these issues can come in the form of improved processes, technological advances in machines or equipment components, or safer/more reliable materials. The same principles apply to the packaging process.
Such "LEAN" manufacturing is considered an industry best practice: eliminating any activity, process, or material that does not add value for which a customer will pay.
Still, while speed and cost-savings are vital to successful manufacturing, quality control is of the utmost importance — particularly as medical device market demands shift toward a more value-driven landscape. Packaging validation, proving to the FDA that a product is sterile when it ships, is the final step.
Many medical device manufacturers excel in the ideation, concept, and prototyping phases of product development and outsource the production of components or entire devices to contract manufacturers. This is as true of established original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as it is for mid-sized companies and startups. Contract manufacturers vary in size and expertise, as well — some comprise small, precise operations specializing in particular materials or components, while others are massive cleanroom facilities equipped for large-scale production.
LATEST HEADLINES
-
SMC Ltd. Announces Expansion For Costa Rica Facility4/7/2021
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.
-
Rapid 3D Printing In Water Using Novel Hybrid Nanoparticles Holds Promise For Old And New Industries8/1/2017
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.
-
Obamacare Replacement Will Permanently Remove Medical Device Tax3/9/2017
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.
-
India To Split Med Device Industry From Pharma, Revisit Free Trade Agreements2/14/2017
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.
-
Wearable THz Scanning Device For Inspection Of Medical Equipment, Human Body11/17/2016
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.
-
Thinfilm Launches Medical Device Communication Platform7/8/2016
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.
-
3D-Printed Camera Small Enough To Be Injected Through a Syringe7/1/2016
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.
-
Cancer Moonshot Initiative To Speed Cancer Research, Treatment6/30/2016
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.