No industry or profession is exempt from the effects of pandemic-related disruptions and the increasing dilemma of too few workers for too many jobs. Recent signs of general forward progress on a national level are encouraging, but finding effective ways to handle current needs remains a constant challenge.
For firms tasked with medical device design, partnering with a reputable medical cart manufacturer is a solution that saves time — and headaches.
Defining and Refining Concepts
The initial phases of medical cart concepts and ideation are often time-consuming. Rightfully so, as there are many key considerations. Add in rounds of design changes and production refinements — not to mention the myriad other projects your design firm is working on — and suddenly your team capacity is beyond its limits.
The latest SolidWorks© CAD software and other leading-edge technologies support the 30+ years of combined experience HUI design engineers possess. However, what makes an HUI partnership most beneficial to design firms is the transparency with which our engineers approach the process. Free-flowing conversations and exchange of ideas often lead to better ideas, fewer concept refinements, and quicker medical cart solutions that can be prototyped, tested, and proven.
Managing Production Costs
Developing medical devices from concept through production is a substantial commitment. There are the expenses directly related to the device, and also ancillary costs like shop space, warehousing, and the like. It all funnels up to what can be a hefty price tag even before the medical cart gets to market.
All HUI design engineers have practical experience with our manufacturing equipment, so we help you design with manufacturability in mind. This practicality increases our speed and agility to implement changes. Further, intelligent use of on-site assembly, flow integration, and select outside suppliers serve to support shorter lead times and lower production costs.
Understanding and Complying with Regulatory Requirements
Regulatory requirements are complex and rarely static. Staying abreast of changes and their impact is a job unto itself. Compliance hangs in the balance and guesswork is not an option.
Those in the medical device industry are at least somewhat familiar with IEC 60601-1, the technical standards for the safety and essential performance of medical electrical equipment.
The larger question, though, deals with your confidence in applying the precepts to your medical cart or equipment project. Do you have the time and dedicated staff member(s) to ensure all 60601 safety compliance requirements are met?
HUI works with and within IEC 60601 guidelines on a daily basis. While we cannot grant 60601 certification to your medical cart (only testing labs such as MECA are qualified to do so), we can streamline the process with value-adds such as in-house preliminary IEC 60601-1 testing on your custom medical cart.
Aligning Design and Manufacturability
Designing a custom medical cart for manufacturability controls the vast majority of your project. How — and how well — something works in terms of real-world manufacturability may support or thwart your expectations. Either way, you need to know well in advance of starting production.
As experts in custom medical carts, HUI is the contract manufacturer designers turn to for device design input, modification, quality control, project management, and ultimately production.
Our team brings in-depth knowledge to any project, supplementing our company’s nearly nine decades of expertise in sheet metal fabrication, design engineering, powder coating and assembly. There’s not much we haven’t seen, and our experience informs the feedback we give you on how prototyped designs mesh with functionalities, quality norms, and production processes, among other considerations. Collaboration is key, keeping all teams and expectations on track to cut time, waste, and costs.
Establishing a partnership with a proven secondary medical cart manufacturer such as HUI has many upsides for design firms. Determine how we can help you get your custom medical cart design rolling using this handy Medical Cart Features & Functions Worksheet. Click the button below to download your copy now.
