Welcome to Med-Tech Precision
Canon Communications LLC is pleased to announce the launch of Med-Tech Precision , a new magazine covering the design and manufacture of precision medical products in the orthopedics, cardiological, and general surgery sectors.
Medical devices are getting smaller and smaller, which is increasing industry's reliance on precision manufacturing technology. And that means an entirely different set of expectations are emerging when it comes to making the devices and components for these applications. Things like manufacturing tolerances and materials selection have to be considered differently than for conventional medical device manufacturing.
Med-Tech Precision will be devoted to exploring those differences and advising our readers on how best to navigate them. It will also be able to focus on concerns exclusive to manufacturers of orthopedics, cardiological devices, and general surgery instruments. We hope you enjoy our offerings, and we welcome any feedback.
Erik Swain
Editor
Erik.swain@cancom.com
In Briefs
Norman Noble Expands Orthopedic Implant Operations
Norman Noble Inc. (Highland Heights, OH), a medical device contract manufacturer, will undergo a major expansion of its orthopedic implant manufacturing operations. The most significant step is the addition of eight five-axis contour milling machines. They will make the firm one of the largest providers of single-operation machining to the orthopedic implant market. Most machining operations for orthopedic implants require multiple steps. The new machines will be able to perform everything in a single step. The firm will also increase capacity in its Swiss turning and milling department, and add equipment to assist in quality inspection. The company had already begun a $1.7 million expansion of its mass finishing operation, which is also used in orthopedic implant manufacturing. It says it is taking these steps because orthopedic implants are one of the fastest-growing segments in medical device manufacturing.
SCS Acquired by Private Investment Firm
Specialty Coating Systems Inc. (SCS; Indianapolis) has been sold to Berwind Corp. (Philadelphia), a private investment management company. Terry Bush, president and CEO of SCS, called the acquisition a seamless and exciting change. “Our core focus will continue to be an unyielding commitment to the needs of our customers and markets,” Bush said in a company statement. SCS was previously owned by Bunker Hill Capital LP for two and a half years, during which the company experienced strong growth. SCS is the global leader in parylene conformal coating services and materials. The coating is used on a range of products including stents, catheters, electronics, electrosurgical tools, and cardiac assist devices. SCS has nine coating plants worldwide. In addition to parylene coatings, the company also provides liquid coating systems such as spray, spin, and dip coating systems, and ionic contamination test systems.
Stent Patent War Escalates
Medtronic has filed suit against Abbott and Boston Scientific, claiming they infringed a patent covering a stent used in treatment of blood vessels.
Boston Scientific Recalls Stent
A defect in a stent delivery system that causes its tip to break off during surgery has led Boston Scientific Corp. to recall its NexStent products.
Coming Soon
The Fall 2008 issue of Med-Tech Precision will have a special section on micromolding. In one feature, we will bring you up to date on the most cutting-edge techniques in micromolding. In another, we will address some of the misconceptions manufacturers have about micromolding.
The fall issue will also discuss parylene conformal coatings, which have protected components in the medical device industry for over 35 years. Today more than ever, they are the ideal protection for leading-edge medical device technologies used in many critical applications. And they used on cardiovascular and surgical precision medical devices. The article will discuss how.
And the fall issue will also talk about orthopedic cutting tools. The design of these instruments is often not in line with the design of the implants, because of lack of cooperation between different manufacturers. The article will show how bringing the cutting tool design and grinding in-house will provide the implant manufacturer with an enhanced market position.
