RESOURCES

In this feature, Robert Torgerson draws from his experience working as a senior engineer in the medical device industry and more recently, as the president of medical-grade fiber maker RxFiber, to offer advice on using biomaterials in ground-breaking medical device projects. Continue reading...

The use of foreign materials in the human body has an impressively long history. In approximately 600 A.D, the Mayans used mother of pearl to fashion dental implants that apparently integrated with bone. An iron dental implant dating back to 200 A.D. has been found in Europe. The use of sutures has an even longer history, stretching back some 32,000 years. Fast forwarding through the centuries, elephant ivory was used to fashion the first documented hip implant in 1891. Most biomaterials used over the course of history were intended to be biopassive—simply tolerated by the body. This is beginning to change, however, as there is increasing demand to create biomaterials that support the field of regenerative medicine. In the meantime, inert biomaterials are also continuing to evolve. Continue reading...

The use of industrial-grade yarn, which is used for applications such as seat-belts and t-shirts, has a long history in the medical device space. The use of such material for medical device applications, however, is becoming obsolete owing to increasing oversight from the FDA and other regulatory bodies. Continue reading...

The use of industrial-grade yarn in medical device applications has a long history. It has been customary to use the same fiber found in t-shirts and seatbelts in medical devices. This occurred because, until now, industrial fiber was the only source available. This trend continues as some medical device manufacturers and converters use industrial-grade fibers to keep cost down or they aren’t aware that medical grade fiber suppliers, like RxFiber LLC, exist. Continue reading...

RxFiber, llc located in the United Sates (Windsor, CA) launches the first manufacturer solely dedicated to developing and engineering medical grade fibers for the medical device industry. Continue reading...