Medical devices play an essential role in many individuals' daily lives, including both professionals and patients. As the medical industry and its demands change and evolve, the precise and efficient manufacturing of these devices is increasingly important.
Many will associate the medical industry with procedures, treatment, diagnosis, and care, but various integral devices are needed to provide these essential services. Due to the world's current state, the demand for these devices continues to increase – and at large volumes.
Coordinate measuring machines and their ability to precisely and intricately measure an object's geometry continue to play an increasing role in meeting these demands. By providing accurate and automated measurements and assessments for these devices, the technology can streamline the manufacturing, assembly, and certification processes.
The role of CMMs in medicine and health care continues to grow as businesses, and manufacturing companies in the industry, come to understand the equipment's substantial value.
Consider how CMMs and CMM service providers are revolutionizing this industry and how they are becoming an increasingly crucial asset in medical device manufacturing.
How CMM Technology Benefits Medical Businesses
MarketsAndMarkets projects that by 2024, the current 3D metrology market value of $9.5 billion will increase to $16.2 billion.
As the years pass and technology advances, medical devices are becoming smaller and more complex. As a result, the industry has an increasing need for more precise, intricate equipment to facilitate repeated and accurate measurements for effective manufacturing and troubleshooting.
As more companies in the industry recognize how much of an asset CMM technology can be, more are using the metrology equipment to reap the benefits of its unique and precise capabilities.
Accurate Measurements
Accuracy plays an essential role in the medical industry. Coordinate measuring machines bring a high level of precision to the assessment, measurement, development, and manufacturing of the life-saving technology we are so lucky to have available.
The medical industry can utilize the accurate measurements a CMM provides in various ways:
Reverse Engineering: A CMM's precise measurement and assessment capabilities can help reverse engineer a medical device. Reverse engineering can be used to see the specific placement of different components, identify the size of a particular part for repeated production, and troubleshoot a device to see why it may not be working correctly.
Repeated Production: A manufacturer can repeat a product's production based on its exact dimensions identified by a CMM. Repeated production ensures all produced parts are manufactured and assembled the same way.
Multi Sensors
Medical parts can be incredibly fragile and easily compromised. CMM technology incorporates various types of no-touch sensors known as multi-sensors that measure and assess an item without directly contacting it.
Another benefit of no touch sensors is that they can measure the areas and crevices of a part that are hard to reach.
No touch sensors allow CMMs to measure precision components without compromising the object. These sensors can measure an item to obtain precise dimensions or act as a scanner to reflect a device's geometry on a CMM software for interpretation and assessment.
Common types of multi-sensors used by CMMs include:
Automation & Efficiency
The medical industry's current obstacle is the high demand for products that need precise and safe assembly for efficiency and device functionality. When it comes to manufacturing and assembling life-saving devices or devices designed to improve an individual's quality of life, it is essential to be accurate while also being efficient.
CMM technology allows operators to automate precise measurements to ensure repeated accuracy for streamlined manufacturing processes. By automating measurements, medical device manufacturers can utilize the efficiency to scale their production.
Removal of Human Error
CMMs remove the need to manually measure or assess components, which allows manufacturers to eliminate the factor of human error.
This removal of human error ensures efficiency, safety, repeated accuracy, and a more streamlined production process.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is vital in medical device manufacturing as these devices must be safe and function properly to suit their essential purposes. By using a CMM to measure a device's components, manufacturers can ensure the proper production and placement of different parts and assess their products' overall quality.
Today’s Medical Developments shares that CMMs are “ensuring fast, highly accurate precision measurements [to] maintain quality and tolerances for safe, reliable medical devices.”
Modeling & Simulation
Modeling and simulation play an essential role in the development, troubleshooting, and upgrading of medical devices. CMMs use laser scanners to measure a component's dimensions and project a model of the object on software.
This simulation allows operators, manufacturers, and business decision-makers to see a device and its features at a high level.
Inspection to Meet Requirements & Codes
There are various requirements a medical device needs to meet to ensure it is up to safety codes. CMMs allow for reverse engineering and precise measurements, identifying if a device meets specific regulations. This tool is useful for medical businesses looking to regulate a given technology.
Quality Devices
As mentioned, CMMs offer a wide range of capabilities to develop and assess a high volume of accurate, effective devices.
Businesses can apply this technology to the assessment, assembly, and manufacturing of a range of life-saving devices, quality-of-life devices, and essential medical supplies.
These devices include:
- Stents
- Implants
- Ventilators
- Surgical tools
What CMMXYZ Can Provide for Medical Businesses
CMMXYZ offers a full suite of CMM services for businesses in various industries. Medical companies can benefit from any of the many services we offer.
We know that all businesses, even those in the same industry, have different needs. We work with you to accommodate and ensure you are getting personalized CMM services that align with your needs, rules, and regulations.
Measurement Services
Medical manufactures and businesses can benefit from CMMXYZ's various measurement services. Many medical companies have stringent guidelines to adhere to, and we welcome these medical companies to come to our facility. We offer on-site measurement services for accuracy and convenience.
It's also worth mentioning that medical equipment can be fragile or hard to transport, which is another reason why we offer this option.
Use our measurements services for various purposes, including:
- Quality assurance
- Troubleshooting
- Repeated production
- Modeling
- Reverse engineering
- Ensuring code compliance
Certified Services
CMMXYZ is proud to offer certified services. We are both ISO 9001:2015 registered and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited. Our certifications speak to the quality of our equipment and services.
Training Services
If you are a medical business interested in obtaining a new CMM with up to date software to do your measurements and assessment, we can help.
In addition to selling new CMMs, we also offer online, remote, and in-class training services to ensure your operators can use the equipment and its software to its full potential. We know that using new equipment and software can be a learning curve.
Our training services help you streamline your learning so that your team members can learn how to use the equipment from professionals and then train other and new department members.
Medical businesses can choose from our wide selection of software training programs that are designed to suit the varying needs of different companies.
New & Used CMMs
While we offer measurement services for individual projects, we also sell new and used CMMs to medical businesses. After all, there is substantial value in having a coordinate measuring machine regularly accessible in your lab.
You can browse our selection of different types of CMMs in our online catalog.
CMMXYZ’s CMM Work for Medical Industries
CMMXYZ is proud to make contributions to the medical industry by providing a high level of services. We celebrate our accomplishments in the medical industry and look forward to making further contributions.
| Company | Work |
| Global Medical Device Manufacturing Company | Measure Tubing and Medical fittings |
| Global Medical Service & Technology Company | Scanning work & performed the measurements on CMM |
| Medical Technology Company | Performed measurements on a CMM for fixture certification |
| Medical Device Company | Provided Measurement Services with a CMM |
| Medical Device Company | Non-contact inspection using video and multi-sensor systems |
| Pharmaceutical Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization | On-site work with portable arm & scanning |
| Emergency Respiratory Care Device Manufacturer | Provided scanning services and a colour map to show results |
| Canadian Medical solutions company | Provided measurement services like a CMM |
| Medical Device & Service Provider | This client has their own multi-sensor and video system that we utilized for part inspection as well as training and service |
Medical Ventilators Case Study
In the spring of 2020, we played an essential role in approving components used to produce medical ventilators.
However, this incredible opportunity did pose various obstacles, as the project came when public health restriction due to COVID-19 made us unable to enter manufacturing plants.
Our resourceful solution to this predicament was to create a "Mobile Metrology Facility" of sorts. We mobilized our lab by making a makeshift facility in the back of a Ryder truck. We brought our lab to the device manufacturer to do all assessments in their parking lot.
This solution enabled us to streamline inspection, approval, and shipping processes to ensure the ventilators' safe and efficient large-scale development.
The History of CMMs in the Medical Industry
There are many breakthroughs that have occurred in the history of CMMs that have allowed this technology to advance and become an essential asset to the medical industry.
The Introduction of Portable CMMs
The first coordinate measuring machines in the early 60s were made of 3D tracing devices, only had two axes, and were less mobile. In the 1980s, we saw the development of portable CMMs. These portable CMMs made it easy to move around probes and measure intricate parts with hard to reach surfaces.
The Introduction of the 3D Scanner
The original CMM only utilized probes to measure items based on an axis. However, the inception of 3D scanners in the 1980s made it possible to measure objects by scanning them instead of touching them. This breakthrough has made it a lot easier to measure medical components and other fragile or sensitive items. CMM 3D scanners use lights, projectors, and cameras to scan products.
The Zeiss & Microsoft Partnership
Most recently, Metrology News reported that CMM brand Zeiss will be teaming up with Microsoft to enhance quality and efficiency in manufacturing. Specifically, this partnership will be put in place to integrate a cloud-first to apply technological developments and share its manufacturing and medical technology insights.
The Role of CMMs During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased demand for medical resources ranging from supplies to devices. This demand has changed how and the rate at which these devices are manufactured.
According to GlobeNewswire, the CMM market is projected to grow by US$1.2 Billion as a result of the pandemic's implications. Specifically, the use of a Bridge CMM can help meet the increasing demands of medical businesses.
To meet these demands, it is also vital that medical manufacturers maintain quality assurance of their high volume of products. This assurance is where CMM technology comes into play.
Other Industries with Need for CMM
The medical industry isn’t the only one that relies on quality assurance, accuracy, and efficient production. Other sectors that can benefit from CMM technology include:
- Automotive
- Aerospace
- Industrial
CMMXYZ For Your Medical Manufacturing Needs
CMMXYZ is proud to be a leading provider of CMM services in Canada and across North America. We are a CMM service provider and offer a wide range of services for medical industries and other types of businesses.
Medical manufacturers can use our measurement services for individual projects, purchase a new or used CMM, get software training, and more.
Contact CMMXYZ to learn more about how we can help your medical business streamline processes and meet increasing medical production demands.