Three Tech Trends Shaping the Future of Medical Manufacturing

1. 3-D Printing

Three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is one of today’s most vibrant medical technologies. The market for 3-D-printed medical devices is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5%, on track to increase from $840 million U.S. in 2017 to $1.88 billion by 2022 according to Markets and Markets. Demand for 3-D-printed medical devices is growing so fast that the FDA recently issued guidelines to manufacturers covering product design, testing and quality requirements.

So what are we talking about? Additive manufacturing is being used to make prosthetics, implants, orthopedic surgical guides, and dental restorations. It also includes devices such as 3-D-printed medical seals which can be efficiently manufactured using specialized materials suitable for medical use. A good example is Viton fluorocarbon medical seals which use a special rubber that maintains its integrity under a wide range of temperature conditions and resists the release of gases into the surrounding environment. This makes the product more antibacterial than standard types of rubber.

Then there is the ability of 3-D printers to use organic materials which represents the potential to print organs. A San Diego medical company, Organovo, has developed a 3-D printing process for artificial organs that uses cells from organ donors as its bio-ink.

2. Mobile Healthcare

Mobile healthcare, or mHealth, is a rapidly expanding area of medical manufacturing. Mobile healthcare involves the use of devices such as smartphones and wearables in conjunction with software apps to deliver medical assistance to mobile users. The thriving mHealth market reached $23 billion in 2017, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 35% over the next three years states SNS Research.

Mobile devices are being used for purposes such as the remote monitoring of prescription drug users to ensure they are following dosage schedules. Using mobile devices for medical purposes creates its own challenges. For instance, patients who bring a smartphone to a medical facility increase the risk of nosocomial infections such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli. Recent studies show that 84% of smartphones test positive for these types of microbial contamination. The problem has inspired CleanSlate UV, to create a decontamination unit for mobile devices that kills 99.99% of superbugs in 30 seconds with no damage to device screens.

3. Medical Robotics

The medical robotics market was worth $6.8 billion in 2017 states Energias Market Research, and it is growing 16.5% per year. By 2024 forecasters estimate it will be worth $21.5 billion.

Robotic surgery is today’s key driver in the field of medical robotics. Robot-assisted surgery allows physicians to perform operations with greater precision than human hands can achieve, reducing risks to patients and improving post-surgical recovery time. Dr. Jason Fowlkes of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Virginia, says that using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical system has helped surgeons better see what’s going on inside patients, and has significantly reduced post-surgical pain. Dr. Fowlkes sees robotic systems like da Vinci helping to remove the need for post-surgical narcotics, reducing the risk of opioid addiction in addition to helping patients heal faster and more comfortably.