The medical device industry has always been closely tied to the engineering world. As engineers develop new methods of manufacturing, packaging, sorting, robotic assistance, barcodes, and automation, those methods start getting applied to the medical manufacturing process.
At the Medical Device Technology Exchange (MDTX), taking place April 3-5 at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, N.J., experts in the field of medical manufacturing will be discussing what new engineering innovations are making waves in the medical industry. Here are some of the conferences that have piqued our engineering interesssts.
Manufacturing in Asia
Companies and engineers frequently produce their products overseas due to labor and material costs. This is no different when it comes to medicine. Ames Gross, president and CEO of Pacific Bridge Medical, will hit the following topics:
- When sourcing and manufacturing in Asia may be worth your consideration
- Best strategies to source in India’s medtech market
- How to set up a greenfield medtech manufacturing facility in China and India
- The most effective way to ensure quality assurance from factories abroad
Conference: Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance in Asia’s Medtech Markets
Date and Time: Wednesday, April 4: 1:25 p.m.-1:50 p.m.
Testing Medical Devices
Any design engineer will tell you that half the battle of designing new products is devising an appropriate test plan. Medical devices have reached a complexity factor that combines electrical, mechanical, and material sciences. With the initial focus on design, test requirements are not given their due. Hitesh Mehta, an engineer and researcher for Integer Holdings Corp will discuss the benefits of initial early testing, as well as:
- Incorporating test requirement in early stages of design development
- Understanding test methods and applying to your specific device
- The importance of testing order
Conference: Harnessing Test Requirements for Device Design
Date and Time: Wednesday, April 4: 4:35 p.m.-5 p.m.
Medicine, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics
AI and robots are introducing the smart factory floor to the medical industry. The use of Internet of Things devices, cloud service, and edge computing allow sensory systems to be installed on the manufacturing floor for feedback systems and process improvements. The introduction of these new systems will foster more precise controls, reduction of defect production, quality control, and cost optimization. Srihari Yamanoor, a mechanical engineer for Stellartech Research, will discuss the following points:
- The advantages of a data-driven manufacturing establishment
- The benefits of edge computing in driving instantaneous insights
- How IoT, machine learning, and AI can help with maintenance, upgrades and customization
- How robotics, along with the other tools, can be used to customize production for shorter batches of precise medical devices
Conference: AI Robotics and the Smart Factory Floor
Date and Time: Thursday, April 5: 8:30 a.m.-8:55 a.m.
Cybersecurity and Medical Devices
Internet-connected devices bring plenty of benefits, such as real-time data and medical care. However, this also opens the door for hackers to break into these devices and abuse the information collected. Mike Kijewski, CEO of MedCrypt, will address the following points on security:
- The newest Bluetooth protocols for encryption
- What are the vulnerabilities of Bluetooth?
- What patches are in place to update software?
Conference: It’s Just a Matter of Time Before a Cybersecurity Disaster Hits Medical Devices
Date and Time: Thursday, April 5: 1 p.m.-1:25 p.m.
Data Analytics in the Field of Medicine
Data science is a popular buzzword that is finally to find its footing. Cloud services and IoT devices have enabled massive data collection protocols, and many companies are taking their first steps toward harnessing that data. Sean Otto, vice president of IoT and analytics at Cyient Insights, will discuss how companies are integrating data science into their products and help formulate analytic algorithm strategies to bring value to your customers. Key takeaways from the conference are:
- Aligning data science process with product development
- Rethinking product design with digital data as a core component to your products
- Learning strategies to help you maximize the outcomes of your data science efforts
- Understanding common business challenges when developing analytic algorithms
Conference: How to Integrate Data Science into your Medical Device Development
Date and Time: Thursday, April 5: 1:50 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
Click here to see what else you can learn at MDTX.
