MD&M West 2020

In this age of digitalization, the Internet of Things, data analytics, additive manufacturing and new business models, strategic thinking combined with a financial perspective and an eye on technology trends will be key to aligning today's business and engineering decisions with tomorrow's medtech opportunities. Join panelists as they explore venture investments, partnerships and the M&A perspective, and look at what is on the horizon for technology development and commercialization, including business and technology cycles that are shaping the industry landscape. Learn about technology-enabled companies that have maximized growth, successfully pivoted and have overcome challenges in their industry sectors.

Selecting the right sensors for incorporation into medical devices is key to the optimization of design for manufacturing, assembly, packaging, sterilization and testing. Panelists examine the relationship between medical devices and their accessories, and sensor selection. This includes types of sensors available, tolerances for the project, and what can be measured. Also considered are the various types of medical devices, including seven of the most popular sensors used in medical device applications and the pros/cons of each. Learn how sensors are customized for specific applications, given design considerations. Case examples are presented to demonstrate applications, customization and better practices.

Rapidly evolving 3D printing applications are becoming increasingly fundamental to the product development process in the medical device industry. 3D printing allows for rapid prototyping to ensure that products that have been tested, evaluated and enhanced every step of the way to get to market faster and more economically. In this video, NYC-based creative and product development expert Josh White provides unique insights into the latest advanced manufacturing techniques that are changing the face of product innovation. He draws from real-life examples of his work with a range of consumer product companies to demonstrate how integrating 3D, rapid prototype and CNC technologies is providing development teams with unprecedented confidence and success rates in new product launches.

Lisa Pierce, executive editor of Packaging Digest, discusses Torrefied Almond Shell (TAS), a process whereby wasted biomass from almond shells is converted into a composite polymer filler that makes plastics heat-resistant, stronger and sustainable. Gain insights into the progress, challenges and opportunities in sustainable, agriculturally derived plastics and packaging that incorporate TAS and other biomass feedstocks, and USDA and partner efforts to make almond shells an economically viable feedstock for polymer composites with established technical standards.

Producing parts with complex geometries can be difficult—if not impossible—via traditional injection molding methods. 3D printing/additive manufacturing (AM) is ideal for prototyping, whereas freeform injection molding (FIM) is ideal for production. In this video, AddiFab CEO Carsten Jarfelt leads a discussion about combining AM and FIM to achieve increased agility, which allows for a greater degree of design freedom, and the ability to attain high repeatability and precision in a highly scalable process that enables manufacturers to get products to market faster, with lower startup costs and shorter lead times.

Michael Paloian, president of Integrated Design Systems, Inc. discusses the challenges faced by product designers and engineers who are charged with the task of turning ideas into fully functional products that must comply with hundreds of critical specifications. These include ease of manufacturing (DFM—design for manufacturing), given that injection-molded part designs cannot be easily changed after molds have been machined. Mr. Paloian addresses the top 10 critical injection-molded part design considerations and the importance of collaborating with trustworthy molders throughout the design process.