The pace of product launch in the medical device industry continues to pick up, responding to the speed at which information is exchanged and the perceived need to introduce the latest product revision to beat competitors. Original equipment manufacturers are pushing the envelope.
Aragon Surgical, a Palo Alto, CA-based startup medical device firm, and Sunnyvale, CA-based Avantis Medical Systems are both utilizing the services of Connecticut Spring & Stamping (CSS) to keep up.
To meet OEMs’ need for this fast pace in the world of metal stamped parts and springs, engineering expertise is taking on an ever-more important role. Expertise in prototyping parts to test and prove design concepts, suggesting ways to reduce secondary operations to reduce cost, and providing value engineering consulting expertise, are key engineering skills that ensure the success of projects. Behind it all is a foundation of communications and two-way dialogue that ensures that products meet customer requirements.
From the initial customer contact and quotation phase, to prototyping, to value engineering, production tooling, running parts off progressive tooling, and quality control and inspection, the metal springs and stamping business has had to adapt to this rapid pace. Lessons learned by medical device manufacturers Aragon Surgical and Avantis Medical Systems show that each step plays an important role in moving a part from concept to completion at the blazing speeds now considered normal.
