Blog Articles

In technological innovation, the journey from concept to market-ready device is often fraught with challenges and uncertainties. From intricate mechanical systems to sophisticated electronic circuits, the development of any device requires meticulous planning, design, and testing. However, even the most thorough processes can encounter performance issues. This is where forensic engineering emerges as a vital tool in identifying, understanding, and resolving such complexities.

In a post-COVID-19 era we have witnessed a notable shift in vaccine development with the advent of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines, representing a groundbreaking approach to immunization, opening new avenues for developing vaccines against various pathogens and reshaping shaping the future of preventive medicine. LNPs offer a means of “bubble-wrapping” therapeutic cargo, protecting it from degradation and facilitating their internalization into cells. Additionally, RNA carrying LNPs provide a…

Medical device companies are heavily reliant on injection-molded plastic components, which might be produced either in-house or through a contract manufacturer. The properties of the polymers used can be intrinsically linked to the behavior and performance of a device, which makes understanding and controlling these properties a business-critical matter.

Material selection and testing can often be one of the critical challenges to developing microfluidic devices for the healthcare and life sciences markets. Below, Springboard’s team of materials science experts summarize some of the competing material requirements that may exist for your lab-on-chip device, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of some of the processing techniques and materials that are used, along with the wide range of analytical techniques available to us to select and…

Rapid Prototyping with 3D Printers

Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing can be a powerful tool when working on early-stage product design. Being able to iteratively prototype the high-risk elements of a product allows for the development of a more robust design overall, while minimising the time to market. But, as with any tool, we need to understand the limits of its capabilities to get the best use out of it.

The importance of understanding surface properties

Recently we had a wheel break off an office chair. Unlike many of our clients, we at Springboard get very excited when things break, because it usually means there’s an interesting problem to be solved. We took a few hours to map the fracture surface, and gather opinions from a few engineers and materials scientists around the office.

Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is frequently used in implants due to its bio-inert nature, meaning that it has a very low propensity to initiate a response or interaction when introduced to biological tissue.(1) It is also a common choice in non-implantable drug delivery devices, as it lowers development risk when performing the relevant biocompatibility tests recommended in ISO 10993 and US Pharmacopeia Class VI. This property also makes LSR suitable for the drug flow path, where reliable…

Tom Oakley and Kamaal de Silva consider how keeping abreast of the latest trends can help the industry predict and prepare for the future.

Sanner Group, a leading global healthcare packaging manufacturer and medical device Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) has acquired Springboard, a specialist in the design and development of medical devices for regulated markets.