Materials Changing Patient Care in a multitude of Applications

Today, the medical device landscape is changing at an extraordinary pace driven by scientific innovation, machine learning, and rapid technological advancements. To improve patients’ quality of life, medical devices evolve towards smaller sizes, lighter materials, and higher performance to enable minimally invasive surgery, minimize patient risks and improve patient care. Innovative metal materials that offer unique properties and characteristics enable this progress. Some of these materials have already been successfully applied in other industries and are now starting to be adopted by medical device manufacturers. For example, these cutting-edge metal products now allow in-body charging and pulse generation and enable sensors to provide tactile feedback to surgeons while in the operating room.

For more than 85 years, AMETEK Specialty Metal Products, with its five advanced metal manufacturing facilities including Hamilton Precision Metals, Fine Tubes and Superior Tube, has been at the forefront of supporting metallurgical and engineering advances in the medical device industry. The group’s expertise lies in the custom engineering and manufacture of high precision metal strip, tube, wire, and high purity powders. These metal products successfully support product development in safety-critical applications across Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopedics and Diagnostic Devices. Consistently used alloys include a wide range of Commercially Pure and Alloyed Titanium, Cobalt Chrome, and Stainless-Steel grades. Most recent developments include collaboration projects with key industry players to commercialize new alloys to develop new products for leading-edge applications including Medical Robotics and Wearables.

AMETEK Specialty Metal Products’ manufacturing facilities for precision Strip and Shaped Wire hold the capability to manufacture to the tightest tolerances and thinnest gauges in the metals industry. Ultra-thin metal foil, for example, can achieve a thickness of just 1.5 microns. These materials are used in a variety of products by some of the largest manufacturers of implantable medical devices and orthodontics in the world. AMETEK Specialty Metal Products has a strong reputation for its willingness and expertise to push the boundaries of what is believed possible.

The tube manufacturing facilities Fine Tubes and Superior Tube have been manufacturing small diameter, thin-walled tubing for heart valves, neurological shunts, and cardiology stents since 1936. The tubing facilities are known for supporting customers new product development pipelines with outside diameters as small as 0.010” (0.254mm) and a wall thickness starting at 0.002” (0.051 mm). A variety of customizable high-quality surface finishes enable implant surfaces to meet the highest quality standards. With medical device customers continuing to reduce the size of their products, specialty tubing is engineered to make this possible. The engineering team fully understands the prototyping challenges that exist in the contract medical device manufacturing and is meeting those needs through rapid response initiatives.

If you want to learn more about how state-of-the-art metal solutions support the medical device industry and accelerate technological innovations, then please join this webinar!