Welp MagazineManufacturing medical devices poses numerous challenges, from adhering to strict guidelines to optimizing accuracy and efficiency. Because the final product can have such a large impact on someone’s health and safety, creating a medical device of impeccable quality is essential. For optimum results, follow these tips on manufacturing successful medical devices.
Choose an Opportune Manufacturing Method
The manufacturing method you choose to create your medical device will significantly influence its cost, capabilities, complexity, and ultimate success. As such, it’s highly important to choose your method wisely. When making your decision, consider a wide variety of factors, such as the assembly, design, and production volume.
For example, due to its low tooling cost, using a reaction injection molding process is a highly advantageous and cost-effective method for producing highly complex assembly of medical devices in lower production volumes. However, if you’re planning on producing a substantial number of medical devices, a process with a lower individual part production cost may be more advantageous. The earlier you choose your manufacturing method, the better you will be able to stick to cost and volume targets.
Select a Manufacturer Early On
Once you have determined which manufacturing method to use, you will need to find a quality manufacturing partner to produce your device. Similar to selecting your manufacturing process, choosing a manufacturer early on will give your medical device the highest potential for success.
By choosing a manufacturer during the beginning of the development process, you can utilize their expertise when making key decisions such as what materials to use or how to best adhere to FDA guidelines. For optimum advice and guidance, you should choose a manufacturer with previous experience in the medical device industry that understands the critical requirements of the production process.
Be Flexible
Another tip on manufacturing successful medical devices is to maintain flexibility. While it’s important to have a solid idea of the processes and procedures you will implement during the production process, you should not be completely resistant to change. Being willing to try new things such as adding or eliminating device functions or switching up the assembly method could ultimately increase efficiency and overall user experience. To give your medical device the best possible chance for success, you should try to remain open to innovations and process changes.
