This Solutionology episode is inspired by our work serving the medical device industry, which makes up over 50% of our business. We dig into the details of medical device applications but the takeaways apply to product innovation in many high-end applications where a manufacturing process that supports tight tolerances, exacting quality, unique geometries, design flexibility, and sealed surfaces is absolutely critical to success.

You'll hear our take on the ways additive manufacturing currently serves medical device applications and the opportunities it has to create transformational innovation when considered earlier in product development cycles. It's an important topic as we prepare to attend the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) Tradeshow in California which will initiate all kinds of problem-solving and exploratory conversations about additive manufacturing with medical device innovators.

Find us at MD&M:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/md-mwest7022977598309748737/ 

Schedule a 1:1 engineering consult with Carl Douglass at MD&M:
https://calendly.com/dilabs/am-eng-consult

Episode Topics:
01:08 Welcome
02:13 Phases of medical device development
03:14 Driving change toward additive
03:32 Materials
04:11 Functional aspects
05:15 Process controls and traceability
06:12 The speed of evolving technology
06:54 Types of medical device we can support
07:29 Cardiovascular applications
07:54 Enclosures for medical device components
08:15 Internal structures for medical device
08:54 High mix low volume
09:19 Applications in the operating room
09:38 Analogue or digital
10:50 Entire system - greatest advancement for additive
12:11 Benchtop trials and iterate in weeks instead of months
12:24 Design validation and clinical trials in months rather than years
12:42 Supporting the switch from traditional manufacturing to AM
13:40 Opportunities in concept phase for DFAM and components
14:19 Design validation - adapting legacy design to AM
15:22 Early-stage opportunities vs late-stage opportunities
16:34 Ground zero allows for innovation and timeline advancement
17:13 Supporting transformational innovation
18:04 Reducing timelines is our focus
18:20 Full-color printing for enclosures can build confidence
20:10 Enhancing the user experience
20:50 Parts we'll have at MD&M
21:42 Functional anatomical models
23:46 Consistently high tolerance production
24:26 Visual CMM for dimensional analysis and quality control
25:59 Preproduction analysis & predictive modeling
27:26 Misconceptions about what it takes for consistency
28:34 Quality is a core foundation
30:14 Bring us your pain points at MD&M - connect with Carl

Find us at MD&M:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/md-mwest7022977598309748737/

Schedule a 1:1 engineering consult with Carl Douglass at MD&M:
https://calendly.com/dilabs/am-eng-consult

Listen to the Solutionology Podcast on...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4p0F0SQHsTl5oXjFcy1x6z

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solutionology-podcast/id1667349314

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMTA4NDM1LnJzcw==