Medical Device Link.

DESIGN

A profitable approach

“Innovate” is the cry. The response is generally the search for new products to solve problems in the present medical field or the search for applications for amazing new technologies that have been newly created or transferred from other disciplines. Lost in the competitive melee that ensues is another opportunity for innovation and increased sales: the revamp of existing and possibly ageing products.

There are tried and tested products that may be based on technology that is years old. They have hardly changed for many years and are appropriate for some simple, low cost technical adjustments to bring them back into focus and ready for a relaunch. These mature products are discarded without regard for the technology that is employed within them and still useable. The engineers who designed them may no longer be available and the original expertise has been lost. It may be that the design was purchased from another company or the product was the result of an acquisition and there is insufficient knowledge or resources in the company to maintain it, let alone improve it to a market leading specification. Add to this the problems of component obsolescence and these products are ignored and nursed to an undramatic end.

Here lies a massive untapped opportunity for astute marketeers. All that is required to update an existing product is the application of readily available technology, and this can lead to some highly beneficial and cost-effective product innovation.

The possibilities

The benefits of revamping older existing products include

• stimulating current markets by creating a new image
• creating new sales opportunities by adding technology that allows the product to operate in new ways or with other equipment
• the potential reduction of costs by using modern manufacturing methods and managing obsolescence at the same time.

With the simple introduction of a small amount of new technology an old product with, for example, a serial port and an LED display can be turned into a device with the latest colour screen and a USB interface. The vast majority of the product stays the same; all that is required is re-engineering of some of the peripheral parts.

A portable handheld device with a three-day battery life that has a heavy mains charger can be transformed to having a two-week battery life and a universal power supply that can be used anywhere in the world. All this requires is a new mains power pack of modern design, new battery technology and a small modification to the circuit board in the product.

One of the greatest investments of time and resources in medical design is obtaining the regulatory approval for the product. Designing new technology in blocks or modules means that most of the product is untouched and the reapplication for approval is usually straightforward and lower in cost.

The range of simple improvements that can be made to products is almost limitless. In some cases, more functionality can be added by fitting a connector to the main product and adding an external printer or a unit for Internet connectivity.

One exciting possibility is the ability to code the disposables used by a device to indicate that they are manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer and are not pirated products. It is also possible to ensure that single-use devices are never used more than once. With modern electronics a US30¢ chip can be embedded into the consumable or disposable item, which makes it possible to know which accessory is fitted, how many times it has been used and when the accessory is due to expire. With so many companies using a financial strategy based on achieving profits from consumables and with markets expanding into less reliable world economies, the ability to force the termination of an accessory is attractive and prevents third parties creating substitute parts.

Never before has there been such a range of technologies available to the creative designer. The latest super computer chips or laser light sources could become the enabling technology for a new field of treatment or measurement system. Yet, it is the host of peripheral technologies that can make the difference between an existing product’s future life and relegation to the scrap heap.

Success stories

A portable and handheld dose measurement device. A manufacturer was seeking to design and launch a new range of clinical dose measurement devices. The existing product range was to be shelved because the cost of the embedded electronic components was prohibitively high. The main processor in the old product was more than 10 years old, becoming obsolete and constituted more than 30% of the component costs. The device was also manufactured on three separate circuit boards. It was difficult to assemble and the battery life was now uncompetitive. Instead of embarking on a “start from scratch” product development, the following solution was implemented. A state-of-the-art processor with its associated components in modern surface mount packages was employed. This allowed the replacement of two of the circuit boards with a single circuit board that could be assembled using high volume, automated surface mount assembly techniques. All of the power management of the unit was controlled by the processor. The same case with a newly designed membrane switch panel was used with the same analogue circuit boards. The overall effect was a new look to the range of products, a three-fold increase in battery life and the new processor was powerful enough to allow the unit to operate at a higher official accuracy classification, achieving Class I accuracy instead of the previous Class II. The price of the build was reduced by approximately 40%. The product launch was successful and the company went on to develop a range of products based on this format. The development costs were 30% of a “start from scratch” approach.

New display for a patient monitor. A successful product was nearing the end of its life because of obsolescence of the main display for the product and the technology it used was incompatible with modern liquid crystal displays. The engineers who had designed the product were no longer with the company. A new circuit board containing the latest driver display chips was designed, which would sit between the new display and the old equipment. The new display could be incorporated into the manufacture of new machines as well as retrofitted during service to existing ones in the field and it provided significantly better resolution and contrast than the old display. The new regulatory approval was straightforward because the original equipment was unchanged. Only the new display module needed full approval and the whole system needed to be checked for equivalence to the old specification.

Seek advice

Many companies do not realise that it is possible to conduct a technological make over on their existing products in a relatively cost-effective manner. When internal resources are limited, it is possible to use outside companies to review and propose what improvements can be made to their products in a financially effective way.

Mike Lloyd is Managing Director of MLE Ltd, Brickworth Lane, Whiteparish, Salisbury SP5 2QE, UK, tel. +44 870 835 8416, e-mail: mike@ml-electronics.co.uk, www.ml-electronics.co.uk