The poor electrical conductivity of engineered cardiac patches used to treat damaged tissue after a heart attack can be improved with gold. Integrating gold nanowires into alginate scaffolds enhances electrical conduction between cardiac cells. Signal conduction was achieved over a scale of "many millimeters" by composite scaffolds seeded with cardiac cells, compared with over only a few hundred micrometers for tissue maintained on pure alginate. Heart muscle cells display a greater degree of synchronous contraction after nanowire inclusion, as shown in this video. Implantable devices superior to available cardiac patches could be expected from the joint MIT, Harvard University, and Children's Hospital Boston innovation.

"Product design may only account for 5% of a product's total cost, but it dictates 75% of the product's total manufacturing cost. Therefore, it becomes critical that designs are done right, the first time."

Our customers benefit from over 60 years of manufacturing experience and complete opto-mechanical/electronic vertical integration — Raytheon ELCAN.

MMP has become a preferred precision sheet metal vendor for major aerospace, medical, and electronics companies. As a single source manufacturer, we can provide our customers everything, from concept to finished product. Our ability to find affordable and innovative solutions to our customers' problems has allowed us to continue to expand our customer base.

The 2220 Series brushless DC oil-less air compressor from Thomas is designed for medical and other applications requiring a compact, lightweight compressor with variable output. The 2220 is small, weighs 1.48 lbs, and features an efficient variable speed motor that produces flow to 1.2 cfm and pressure to 30 psi.

Your product vision evolves into your ideal project design, which requires the ideal motor, else the project isn't ideal. At ebm-papst, the majority of the more than 55 million turning shafts we produce each year are customized so that our customers can continue dreaming instead of compromising.

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A larger-than-life heart valve model better illustrates the blood flow dynamics that can occur with artificial valves. Six times the size of a regular valve, the model was designed at National University of Ireland, Galway, so that blood flow is 100x slower. Research may lead to prosthetic heart valves that reduce clotting reactions.

A self-repairing, liquid-repellent technology developed at Harvard University could be applied in biomedical fluid handling or as a catheter coating. Seeking to mimic the virtually frictionless slopes of the pitcher plant, researchers designed defect-free slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS). Watch the self-cleaning properties of the lubricating fluid-saturated nanostructured material.

Human breath can now be deemed an energy resource since University of Wisconsin researchers developed a device that converts normal respiratory air flow speeds into electricity. A micrometer-sized polyvinylidene fluoride belt harvests energy through a piezoelectric effect and could one day be used to power implantable medical devices.

With medical devices falling under the purview of revised Restriction of Hazardous Substance legislation in 2014, manufacturers must devise new lead-free reliability testing protocols. Medical Electronics Design recommends reliability testing of candidate materials and product qualification planning, which may include thermal cycle, mechanical shock and vibration, corrosion, and highly accelerated life testing.

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Ark-Plas® currently manufactures over 5,300 standard products for numerous applications. If you are looking for medical device components, Ark-Plas® manufactures a numerous amount of plastic fittings, tubing, and accessories. Visit our Web site, or if you have questions about a product, contact us at 870-453-2343.

Greenleaf technical ceramic products have established a reputation of quality and innovation. They produce custom products to your specifications utilizing high-quality raw materials and their extensive array of capable production processes. Quality is a hallmark of Greenleaf products. Trust Greenleaf for all of your technical ceramic needs.

The 4283-1200 Series Hi-Voltage Flyback Transformers from Datatronics Romoland, Inc. are ideal for life-support medical applications, including portable and implantable defibrillator/pacemakers that require a high-voltage, low-power design. Virtually corona-free, they are reliable in harsh environments. Our Short Form Catalog is the smarter, simpler way to select magnetics for high-reliability applications.

From the plastics of today to the engineered materials of tomorrow, our industry unites in 2012 to break the mold at The International Plastics Showcase. Make plans to participate in NPE2012 and see how the business is changing. NPE2012 promises to deliver your greatest opportunity to reshape your organization. Register today.

Biological nano-transducers derived from phospholipids are being developed as organic medical imaging systems. The micro-devices will generate diagnostic images of the body and target specific cell types. University of Nottingham, UK, researchers hope to deliver a prototype in 2016 capable of monitoring cells used in therapies and detecting tumors.

Improving the safe use of infusion pumps and reducing recalls is the goal of a U.S. Food and Drug Admin. initiative. Software errors are caught early in the design process by application of static code analysis. The agency promotes this approach to identify resource or memory leaks, buffer overruns, and other defects during the product software development phase.

A flexible, biocompatible LED biosensor module demonstrates high sensitivity to prostate specific antigen concentrations. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology device could function as an implanted prostate cancer detector. Liquid crystal polymer substrate hosts the flexible gallium nitride LED, electroluminescence detector, and reaction chip with biomolecules immobilized on a glass surface.

Sleep patterns can be tracked at home with yet another app for the iPhone and Android operating systems. A sensor-laden headband wirelessly transmits sleep stage data to the cell phone app, which summarizes slumber statistics. Analyses and guidelines for restorative sleep optimization are available by uploading data to the company Web site.

Ultra-mini, low-power system with Intel® Atom™ solution. Features include:

• Fanless design and ultra-mini size
• DVI-I and dual Giga LAN
• Increased energy efficiency

Linemaster Switch Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of electric, pneumatic, wireless, linear, USB, and speed-control foot controls, has earned ISO 13485:2003 Registration. Linemaster has implemented a comprehensive management system for the design and manufacture of medical devices that meets the ISO Standard, FDA QSR, and regulatory requirements.

Hybrid Connectors from Colder Products Company provide a compact, single connection point for power, air, and fluid lines, eliminating the need for multiple connections between remote tools and a device. Hybrid Connectors simplify the user interface, speed device setup, and improve patient safety by eliminating misconnections.

Thermal Circuits, Inc. is a certified manufacturer of critical components to medical device companies serving the in-vitro and in-vivo markets. Read "Case Study: Etched-foil elements provide significant advantages in sensitive applications" outlining their solution to a reliability issue with a safer, more thermally responsive design improvement, giving its customer a sustainable competitive advantage.

Designing audible alarms into medical equipment used to be simple, but with the publication of international standard IEC60601-1-8, this is no longer true. This presentation will help engineers and system designers understand how IEC60601-1-8 impacts the design process.

Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry offers a preliminary peek at its 2011 salary survey results based on 441 responses from U.S. in vitro diagnostic and finished medical product manufacturer participants. About 15% report salaries as well as average total compensation in the $100,000-124,000 range. Most respondents are in the 45-54 age range and 36% have 20+ years of sector experience.

Hearing aids were of little use to Sarah Churman, who was born deaf and lived in silence for 29 years. The silence was lifted in July when a surgically implanted hearing restoration system was activated. Her husband filmed the moment, and you can watch and hear that resonant happy ending.

A Paucity of Pediatric Devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration perceives a lag in development between child- and adult-centered medical devices. Do you see a need for increased attention on pediatric medical products?

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