INNOVATION IN THOUGHT, TECHNIQUE AND THE DESIRE TO SATISFY AND EXCEED CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS
The medical industry often perceives “Cost Optimization Strategies” to be overwhelming and all encompassing, especially within the world of manufacturing complex medical devices. Marshall Manufacturing looks upon such details as somewhat commonplace inside their daily existence. They call it Common Sense. Such is the case when a forward-thinking medical device OEM came to Marshall Manufacturing with a very good design for a specific medical instrument they were pursuing to manufacture.
The part required detailed bending of a specific size, weight and material; namely, stainless steel wire. The tip required specialized machining to exact specifications. This is right up Marshall’s alley. Steadily becoming known as the premiere medical device manufacturer specializing in holding tight tolerances while bending wire and tubing to exacting specifications, Marshall knew, upon first look, that their expertise was going to be successful in providing the absolute best path to follow for production of the proposed part.
Immediately upon inspection of the prototype, Marshall began asking questions. How will the part be used, specifically in the surgeon’s hands? What procedures will the part need to repeat, if any? How strong does the part need to be? Should the part be re-usable or disposable? What is the timeline to market?
The bend needed to be exact and specific. The tip needed to be aligned with the bend perfectly for the surgeon to utilize the instrument with certain purpose and ease. Yet still, the customer’s prototype had one important aspect to address. How will the surgeon hold the instrument? A handle needed to be designed that would perform with some strength from the surgeon. For torque and leverage, a sturdy handle was required; one that would never slip, bend or crack while the procedure it was designed for was being conducted. “There we were, with a great part our engineers designed and we had not addressed the handle”, stated the customer’s Process Engineer. “Then Marshall came up with the answer, that Marshall innovation kicked-in again, we had our part and the cost to produce it came in lower than our original estimates”! Marshall knew, if they machined features on the wire, designed a specific handle to be permanently mounted to the wire, perhaps made from a plastic injected mold (which would need to be designed and built), the cost would be considerably more. “That is what most medical manufacturers would probably suggest”, added Mike Hedtke, Engineering Manager at Marshall Manufacturing Company. “Instead, we recommended a specific bend as a part of the entire wire”. A smartly engineered bend that would serve the purpose of a handle perfectly became the solution, adding very little cost, and could be produced without any secondary operations or assembly.
Cost Optimization Strategies? Of course.
That’s the Marshall Manufacturing Company way of doing business.
The 510K clearance was achieved; validation processes were conducted and cleared. The bonus came in, that the new handle idea made the part reusable, as well.
Is there any question why Marshall Manufacturing’s company tagline is:
“Bending Technology for a Better Solution”?
Marshall Manufacturing Company specializes in CNC 2-D/3-D bending of small-diameter pre-machined tube and wire, Swiss Machining, Laser Tube Machining, Laser Welding and Wire EDM. Prototype through production, the company is customer-focused and provides solutions for challenging components and assemblies. Marshall also offers value-added services. Materials include stainless steel, MP35N, and plastics.
Marshall Manufacturing is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 registered.