Four finalists have been picked from the exhibitors who entered the inaugural Advancing Healthcare award at this year’s Med-Tech Innovation Expo.
The new category was established by the editorial team behind Med-Tech Innovation News, the leading publication for the UK’s medical device market.
The finalists are BioBarica, a manufacturer of hyperbaric chambers, Bluefrog Design, a product design consultancy, contract manufacturer Boddingtons Plastics, and Foba Laser Marking, a specialist in product identification technologies.
Foba Laser scooped a nomination for its patent pending technology for its laser marking products that drastically reduce the need for fixtures.
To meet new government regulations, medical device manufacturers must make their products traceable by permanently laser marking them with a device identifier. To minimise operator errors, which can cause a costly misaligned or incorrect mark on the part, the industry relies on complex and expensive fixtures. Depending on the part complexity, the cost of a fixture can vary from several hundreds to many thousands of pounds. A manufacturing facility can easily use a hundred or more fixtures per production site.
Foba’s innovation uses a concept based on through-the-lens vision combined with the tiling of images. In less than a second, medical devices dropped under the laser marker, in any orientation or position, are marked accordingly and with accuracy, without the need for fixtures.
Bluefrog Design was shortlisted for its innovative approach to treating paraesthesia – a complicated skin condition with no known cause.
Using 3D laser scanning and 3D printing, the team was able to create a vest which was light and comfortable to wear, and which has greatly improved his quality of life
The team proved that it is possible to use cutting edge manufacturing techniques to produce cost-effective, highly-personalised and intrinsically simple treatments for extremely complex conditions.
BioBarica meanwhile manufactures chambers for the treatment of hyperbaric oxygenation. The firm says its Revitalair 430 hyperbaric chamber is flexible and portable, and also doesn’t carry the explosive and safety hazards associated with high pressure chambers.
Finally, Boddingtons Plastics has been nominated for its commitment to the medical device sector, with the opening of its £4.6m injection moulding manufacturing facility. The group says that the rewards from this investment have steadily accrued – both for the company and the industry. The group has since been nominated by GE Healthcare as supplier of year, and has developed and manufactured new applications with some of the major brands in the sector.
Dave Gray, editor of Med-Tech Innovation News magazine said: “It’s been a privilege to judge this award category for our exhibitors. We’re all about innovations that disrupt the medical device landscape for the better – and we’ve landed on four finalists who really hit the brief.”
The winner will be announced at the Medilink UK Healthcare Business Awards on 25th April in the Ricoh Arena’s Premier Lounge, where they will be presented with their award.
