Thought Leadership
The Future of Medical Device Manufacturing Automation: 3 Trends to Anticipate and Prepare for in 2025
The Future of Medical Device Manufacturing Automation: 3 Trends to Anticipate and Prepare for in 2025
The one-size-fits-all or a few-sizes-can-work approach to medical devices and manufacturing automation is becoming a thing of the past. Rapidly advancing technologies, including additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) are making it easier and more efficient to customize products and production processes.
Soon, rather than selecting from a pre-set standard range of styles and sizes, physicians will be able to custom order medical devices and components to fit an individual patient’s needs. Everything from spinal, cranial and dental implants to hip and knee replacements, prosthetic limbs, braces, bone grafts and beyond will be tailor made, factoring in each patient’s condition, capabilities and unique anatomy. The result is optimal fit, functionality and longevity of the device.
While we’ve come a long way, there’s still more research and testing to do before these personalized devices become a standard of care. The medical device industry and regulatory bodies need more data on their safety, effectiveness and reliability before they can become fully mainstream and on-demand.
Meanwhile, flexible production systems are ushering in a modular era, allowing manufacturers to reconfigure and repurpose equipment to create production cells for varying needs. Already being deployed by advanced contract manufacturers, this flexibility enhances efficiency, reduces costs and diversifies capabilities, improving production and return on investment. Competitive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will soon adopt these systems, too.
You’ve likely come to rely on “lights out” automation, where machines and systems operate with minimal human involvement. Collaborative robots (cobots) handle repetitive tasks, and automated vision systems detect defects faster and more accurately than humans. However, in many medical device manufacturing facilities, people still analyze production trends, material changes, and other factors to refine systems, processes and output.
Thanks to advancements in AI and robotics, manufacturers can now program and deploy self-optimizing manufacturing systems that improve continuously. These systems communicate with engineers in real time, enabling faster decisions to enhance efficiency and quality control.
As manufacturing systems become more autonomous, leveraging AI-driven inspection and advanced robotics, manufacturers can improve productivity, reduce waste and refine processes more effectively and efficiently. They’ll also be better equipped to address longstanding labor shortages and focus human workers on skilled roles requiring decision-making. Ultimately, these advancements will also position manufacturers to make a greater impact on improving and saving lives.
Heads up! This transformation is already underway, and manufacturers who hesitate risk falling out of step with the industry’s evolution.
Industry 4.0 has already introduced smart factories where IoT (Internet of Things), AI and big data analytics create highly interconnected production ecosystems. Now, 5G connectivity is accelerating this transformation, enabling real-time decision-making on an unprecedented scale.
With 5G, exponentially more devices can communicate faster and more reliably, facilitating instant data analysis and actionable insights. Paired with edge computing, which processes data at its source, this connectivity allows for near-immediate adjustments to production parameters based on sensor feedback.
Key benefits include:
As adoption accelerates, manufacturers must stay ahead by implementing these innovations to remain competitive and meet evolving regulatory and consumer demands.
Raghu Vadlamudi is our Chief Research and Technology Director. He has more than 25 years of experience in the medical device manufacturing industry managing process development groups, directing and coordinating process validation activities utilizing knowledge-based manufacturing practices. Raghu is an ASQ certified Medical Device Auditor, Certified Metal Cutting Professional, Certified Medical Device Compliance Professional, and a Certified Process Validation Professional.
