Articles

Lowell regularly contributes to and is sought out for inclusion in industry articles about medical device manufacturing. Find the latest news and information below.

Articles

How Statistics Can Reduce Medical Device Inspection Time

The idea of reducing inspection costs is a face-off between two different priorities.

Priority one is budget. OEMs look for ways to reduce production costs where possible, and inspection is a seemingly good area because it can be significant portion of a production budget…

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Articles

Seeking Production Time Savings? Consider De-Automating Dimensioning

Manually dimensioning drawings can be a better option when working with a contract manufacturer.

Timelines are a top concern in orthopedic device contract manufacturing for both the company making the product and the OEM seeking to avoid time-to-market delays…

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Articles

Focus on Throughput Empowers People and Machines

Modern Machine Shop

Lessons learned in robot-tending coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) translate well to a self-correcting multi-tasking machining process.

Stocked with an array of multi-spindle, multi-axis and otherwise multifunctional metalcutting equipment, Lowell Inc. is worth a visit for anyone interested in machining medical devices…

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Automated Data Analysis: Making the Case

Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine

Shifting to automated data analysis for process qualification activities can improve the effort for manufacturers and their customers in several ways.

Lowell’s manufacturing team needed to start making a customer’s part on a new machine. The newer mill/turn machine was automated and would save a lot of machining time versus the original milling machine, but it required reprogramming the part.

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Articles

Keys to a Successful First Article Inspection

Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine

First article inspection (FAI) is a necessary step to ensure a manufacturing process will create a medical device that works as designed and meets requirements. It is a near-to-100-percent inspection of the first part that comes off a machine. The data and measurements gathered from FAI become part of the medical device file, which is required for FDA submissions and ISO 13485.

The FAI also builds confidence in the manufacturing process. Once it is submitted and approved, it’s assumed the same process will be in place for every part produced after that.

From a contract manufacturer’s perspective, a smooth FAI is important to its OEM customer’s satisfaction…

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Machining Modern Medicine

Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine

Medical industry technologies are evolving to serve more surgical and patient needs. People are living longer, with higher expectations for staying active as they age. Surgeons want better devices, instruments, and tools to help them achieve these goals—which in most cases requires state-of-the-art manufacturing and tight-tolerance machining.

Machining continues to advance to meet the challenges of making smaller and more complex devices, sometimes from newer, harder-to-machine materials…

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Behind the Scenes, Automation Drives Manufacturing Results

Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine

As product development shifts from engineering to production, manufacturers take the lead on delivering parts that meet the engineer’s design intent and are on time and budget.

While not always visible to the customer, one way manufacturers can meet these expectations is through automated machining processes. Automation opens new ways to create a more consistent part at the point of manufacturing…

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Inspection Benefits of Profile Tolerancing

Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine

Profile tolerancing offers an array of benefits for device inspection over the more commonly used linear plus/minus dimensioning.

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Articles

Successful Design and Development Requires Early Collaboration

Bonezone Magazine

In this competitive environment where speed to market is vital, the design and prototyping phase of any project carries more importance than ever before. Companies that can collaboratively work with suppliers from the onset and communicate throughout the project will have a better chance of being successful.

We spoke with five suppliers with expertise in design and development to get their perspective on design and prototyping in the orthopedic industry…

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Articles

Learn and Adapt

Enterprise Minnesota Magazine

It was the mid-’90s, and Lowell, Inc., a manufacturer based in Brooklyn Park, had earned a solid reputation providing parts for computer hard drive manufacturers. But it lost a major client in an uncertain market and, as a result, Lowell watched its workforce shrink from 120 to 45 employees in six months.

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