Orthopedic Design & Technology (ODT) recently featured Estes Medical Design, a division of Estes Design and Manufacturing, in an article titled, “New Technologies Reshape Orthopedic Design.”
The story highlights that within the medical device industry, there is an increasing urgency for products with high quality, durability, and intuitive ease of use for practitioners. The design needs to serve a complex function, yet still be a simple design at a low cost.
Estes Medical Design is up to the challenge. Through comprehensive services such as design, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing to the orthopedic industry, Estes Medical uses lean processes and innovation to create a customized product for each customer.
“For example, we design cases and trays so that brackets cannot be installed backward, installed in the wrong locations, or missed altogether in the assembly operation,” said Ron Estes, vice president of operations for Estes Design and Manufacturing. “Field rejects are very costly for OEMs [Original Equipment Manufacturers], so having simple, reliable designs is very important to them. Latches need to be intuitive and user-friendly, yet robust enough to survive drops in the field and reliable enough to survive the autoclave cycles. Cases and trays need to be serviceable through numerous cleaning and autoclave cycles, yet still function like new.”
Estes Medical Design uses a process that starts with design input from the team. Innovation is only possible through collaboration, the freedom to ask the right questions, and the willingness to listen closely. Through the Conceptual Design and Detailed Design steps, the team works to identify problem areas early and provide solutions. The Prototype step of the process is a critical component to ensure the design will in fact meet the customer’s need.
Read the full story on how new technologies reshape orthopedic design in the latest edition of ODT Magazine.
With over 30 years in the metal fabrication industry, Estes has the resources and the experience to take your project to the next level. If you are looking for innovative solutions and a team that will create a custom solution for your business need, contact us on our website today.
