Do you know what a medical Device is? Are you aware of the medical equipment design process? What is the exact usage of several medical devices? Many people see devices like Stethoscopes, CT scanners, MRI machines, etc., in hospitals or laboratories. We are going to discuss all these questions in detail in this article.
These medical devices are not only useful for medical purposes. These devices have also opened enough employment opportunities. Yes, you may question how? Various online courses related to designing medical devices are available. After passing these courses, you can work as a renowned medical device designer in a company. Multinational companies hire various engineers for medical device development. So there is an excellent scope of the job for both medical device designer and developer.
We should know about medical devices before learning about medical product design. The devices that help the doctor know about your disease and treatment procedure are known as medical devices. These devices further help to make your proper treatment. Without these, it would have become impossible to diagnose your diseases. These devices also help the doctor prescribe required medicines and check-up (test) to the patient indirectly.
Usage of medical products
- Wheelchair for emergency patients
- Crutches for patients who have problems walk
- Doctors use traction equipment, Sphygmomanometer, Thermometer, Suction device, insulin machines, Breast Pumps, and Stethoscope, etc.,
About medical device design
So it would be fascinating to know something about its designing process. Mechanical engineers are appointed for medical product design by medical, industrial design companies. Its creation needs the combined usage of 3D-CAD software and traditional designing tools. The process of designing medical equipment by medical, industrial product design companies is as follows:
1. How to research?
It is the first step. The engineers ascertain the client’s needs. They also determine the environment where the equipment will use. The methods applied and materials used determine the total cost of manufacturing.
2. Invention of specification
It is the second and very crucial stage of the medical equipment design process. Specifications of the following:
- The function of a particular medical device.
- Operational risks
- Relationship between individual components in terms of their structure
A group of system engineers carefully designs a specific medical product. Then a team of equipment designers sits for further discussions. These specifications help to point out the problems that may arise in the future. Further repairmen’s also increase the budget. So specification is very helpful for saving both money and time.
3. Engineering process
In this stage, the engineers make some decisions based on the specifications:
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Mechanical Engineers
These engineers are responsible mainly for the manufacturing process. Extrusion injection molding is some method used in the creation of each component. They are then joined by processes like resistance welding or ultrasonic welding, or by any other methods.
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Electrical engineers
These engineers look after the circuitry portion of that medical product. The need for accurate voltage, direct current, batteries, and other such things are ascertained at this stage. These factors vary with the size of the device and the operations it performs. The decision to use standard and proprietary connectors is not executed with the mechanical engineer’s opinion.
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Software engineers
They are also appointed in some cases. Sometimes medical devices have installation difficulty. Then software engineers come to this stage because they are professionals in assembly languages and programming languages such as Visual Basic, C ++, Linux, and C languages.
4. Samples
In this stage, the practical application of the equipment is tested. The following questions are answered at this stage in the form of their implication.
- Are the specifications adequately taken into consideration?
- Whether the mechanical, electrical, and software engineers have efficiently performed their tasks?
5. Repetition
If any problem arises in the prototyping stage, the products are again returned to the engineers’ team. That is the stage where all the engineers fix the problem. After scheduling, the device sends for final approval from the customer.
6. Production
This stage comes when the particular client finalizes the product. Each department is then assigned separate tasks for producing it in large numbers.
Why we need medical device product development?
Various assistive medical devices with different designs are available in the market. All those variable designs perform other medical tasks. But companies periodically analyze the need to develop that tool. These medical devices treatment may be better for diagnosis. Sometimes progress is also needed to meet the needs of the doctor and the laboratory. Medical devices make treatment easier for doctors and patients.
Why is Medical Device Development Risky?
A lot of responsibility lies in medical design development because it means progress made for people’s safe and healthy lives. Any mistake in design can lead to serious health issues.
Medical device manufacturing capabilities
- ISO-13485 Certified
- RF and Ultrasonic Welding
- Slitting, Sheeting, and Die-cutting Medical Films, Fabrics, Tapes and Papers
- Flame Laminating
- Specialty Sewing Operations
- Packaging
Are you interested in medical device design? Click here and learn more about it.