Sourcing Suppliers of Machining Services
Finding a supplier that has a solid understanding of materials has a strong influence on the success of a product. Machining medical implants and instruments is a complex process. The properties of the raw materials and the production processes used to manufacture medical devices can present extreme machining challenges. For those and other reasons, medical device OEMs should invest...
The Future: Orthopaedic Coverage from Head to Toe
When Cayenne Medical (Scottsdale, AZ) was founded in 2005, its vision was to create the complete package for the knee and all soft tissue-type reconstruction. After having success with products designed for this area, the company’s goal has transformed into becoming a one-stop shop for an orthopaedic surgeon.  “Cayenne’s goal is to grow into a comprehensive sports...
Forming Technology With a Twist
  Koslosky Finding the ideal material for an orthopaedic implant isn’t always a straightforward process. As manufacturers look for more effective and less invasive technologies, Secant Medical LLC (Perkasie, PA) has stepped up to the plate in working with customers to not just develop a customized technology but also to understand their specific needs. The company places...
Bicompartmental Knees Inch into Total Knee Market
The iDuo G2, from ConforMIS, targets only the diseased portions of the knee. Tissue and bone preservation has become a big deal in orthopaedics. When ConforMIS Inc. came out with technologies that not only precisely fit patients but also avoided removing bone, it was praised for its innovation. Although the company continues to improve its products, John Slamin, senior vice president...
Barely Scratching the Surface
A close-up of a spinal implant with a proprietary texture etched into the surface. Until very recently, there were a limited number of surface texture application methods available to designers and manufacturers of metal orthopaedic implants. The most commonly used were porous coated beads and plasma spray to provide on-growth surfaces to orthopaedic implants. Today, an increasing...
Using Green Technology to Machine Materials
A close-up view of a fixture holding nitinol tubing illustrates the accurate features generated by an MDP patent-pending, threading process. This unique grinding technology often eliminates the need for subsequent operations. (Photos courtesy of TESCAN USA/OBERG INDUSTRIES) Generating a feature in standard alloys can be challenging. Design criteria mandate smaller products, more-...
Biomet, Zimmer, Stryker, Wright Medical, Among Top 25 Medical Device Players
Aside from being top companies within the orthopaedics industry, Biomet, Stryker, Zimmer, Wright Medical, Synthes, and Smith & Nephew are among the top 25 manufacturers in the entire medical device industry. In an article published by MD+DI, Yair Holtzman and Tom Figgatt, Sr of WTP Advisors discuss how these companies successfully made it through the rough economy of the past few years....
Additive Manufacturing a Hot Area in Orthopaedics
Additive manufacturing is getting attention for its ability to accelerate the product development process. The most common types of rapid prototyping methods are additive technologies, meaning that the model is built by adding material layer by layer. By contrast, subtractive prototyping methods create a model by removing material, typically by means of standard machining methods such as...
Device Companies: Attract Investors by Differentiating Yourself
  The orthopedic device industry has taken a beating during the past few years, just as other sectors of the medical device industry have struggled. Although the sector has improved in areas, we are far from recovery and may never get back to the good ol’ days. Competition is fierce and getting products through the arduous FDA process is no picnic. As companies revisit their strategies...
Apps for Bionic Arm Revolutionizes Rehab
A bionic arm developed at MIT has an app that gives users more control. Using the technology with apps also opens up other possibilities Tablets, because they have cameras embedded in them, could enable the bionic arm to be used for remotely based rehab pops up. It also opens up the possiblilty of doing game-based rehab. “This could be used if someone moves x number of degrees, the...