High profile acquisitions of diagnostics companies, IPO listings, strategic partnerships, and the rise of virtual care platforms provide further assurance that the diagnostics market is on the cusp of another huge growth curve. This all indicates that there are clearly exciting opportunities ahead for moulders operating in the high tech medical device and diagnostics product development and production space.

TDL Plastic Mould CO., Ltd, with over 28 years of leading the manufacturing industry in the areas of plastic injection molding, mold design, and manufacturing sees it befitting to announce its continuous commitment to precision and innovation.

More recently, there is a stronger leaning in the medical market towards larger strategic and more complex projects, such as drug delivery devices and pen style injectors. This is predominantly due to the global growth in diabetes care, where demand for advanced glucose monitoring and insulin delivery devices is propelling innovation. Testament to demand, credible industry reports forecast that the diabetes device market will surpass $68.2 billion by 2032, almost triple its 2022 value.

The medical market, particularly diagnostics, was strongly influenced by the Coronavirus pandemic. As anticipated, there has been a natural levelling-off for pandemic-related consumables.

Regional medical director of the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag team Andrew Sargisson shares his industry insight and global predictions for the medical market, touching upon how these latest trends are influencing investments in medical injection moulding facilities worldwide.

In 2024, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag will host its inaugural productivity roadshow. With four stopovers planned for July in the UK and Ireland, including Limerick, customers will be invited to explore all the latest trends, productivity and profit-enhancing technologies.

With significant access to start-up finding, telehealth is the boom-market to watch. It is current exhibiting a CAGR of 19.7% between now and 2030. Online video and audio consultations with physicians and medical consultants are increasingly being used to deliver quality healthcare while simultaneously reducing heavy work and cost burdens. The telehealth segment is split between services and products. Items such as wearable patient monitoring and telecommunication devices accounts for around one third of the market.

"Over the past 28 years, TDL has stood as a symbol of precision, innovation, and unwavering dedication to our clients. We are thrilled to reach this milestone, and we look ahead with excitement as we continue to shape the future of mold design and manufacturing. Our clients are not just partners; they are the driving force behind our innovation. We appreciate them for their trust and commitment to excellence, as we continue to deliver best-in-class services to them," said Emma Zhu, Project Manager.

With regard to machinery, there is a strong move towards “copy & paste” systems and processes in both Europe and North America. The global medical team at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, led by business development director Anatol Sattel, are also noting more requests for remote system access to historical machine data. This is predominantly to assist with troubleshooting and monitoring validated process settings.

DONGGUANG, China, November 13, 2023 (Newswire.com) - TDL Plastic Mould CO., Ltd, with over 28 years of leading the manufacturing industry in the areas of plastic injection molding, mold design, and manufacturing, sees it befitting to announce its continuous commitment to precision and innovation. Naturally, they have been unwavering in their dedication to a customer-centric approach to production and quality which has created a place for them as a global innovator in the injection molding field.

Additionally, TDL’s commitment to quality is absolute and never changing as demonstrated over the years in their products and services. The paramount importance they place on quality is authenticated in their rigorous quality assurance measures and advanced testing equipment, including optical inspection tools, CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine), and hardness testers. These tools are in place to guarantee that every product regardless of the volume of production meets every stringent industry specification and international quality standards.

In 2023, the global medical injection moulding market size was estimated at $22.54 billion. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% from 2024 to 2030. Much of this growth is being driven by advances in self diagnostics, the home healthcare sector, improved healthcare infrastructures in emerging economies, and an ageing population, which WHO predicts will double by 2050.

Consequently, innovation has consistently driven every one of their successes with the different departments plugging into this innovative spirit. Practically every team in the company is made up of highly experienced professionals in their various fields. These veterans adopt innovative foresight as they push the boundaries of injection molding, mold design, and manufacturing. This path of innovation is responsible for TDL’s constant designation as an industry trailblazer.

To support these advances and in order to meet the explicit quality management and validation ISO 13485 standards for medical devices,  Sumitomo (SHI) Demag introduced new machine user parameters, digital quality control and KPI analytics into its IntElect S medical production package. One of these advanced Med-Spec demo cells is now located in Limerick, Ireland. This will enable customers to perform validations, run tool trials and use the facility to provide valuable process optimisation training to technicians.

Since its inception in 1995, TDL has been a trailblazer, especially in innovative solutions for mold design and mold manufacturing. Additionally, they have gained trusted partners based on their extensive experience and particularly their forward-thinking approach. Moreover, these business partners have come from various industries ranging from automotive components and consumer electronics to medical devices with TDL leaving its indelible marks on these various sectors.

The development of process optimisation systems, integrating material and knowledge with simulation tools is probably the most exciting development on the horizon, claims Sargisson. Such systems will enable processors to observe advanced settings and capture deeper processing insights.

Thermoplastic and LSR moulding continues to be used extensively to manufacture a huge variety of everyday medical applications. The range is broad and can include implantable components, test tubes, petri dishes, PCR tubes, pipette tips and other labware, as well as medical monitoring devices, drug delivery components and surgical equipment.

To support these efforts, the company’s R&D team continues to develop an IoT dashboard to facilitate data analysis and visualisation, transfer and storage of know-how, as well as maintenance planning and prediction. Within this assistance system, additional autonomous and interconnected functions are being conceived to provide valuable insight into the machine performance and different production variables.

MedTech is a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing sector. Unsurprisingly, industry analysts are always keen to pinpoint the newest transformational medical and life science technologies that are expected to shape future treatment pathways.

The company’s ultimate vision is an intelligent machine that can independently make predictions about part quality, machine wear and failures and deliver optimisations online. Enabling greater process consistency and allowing for real-time machine maintenance to be adjusted accordingly.

However, for TDL, innovation is a way of life and not just a frame of reference. They have consistently proven this across a bouquet of services which includes product design, mold design, CNC machining, rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and surface finishing. This comprehensive suite of services provides bespoke solutions for clients across the different industries ensuring that they get whatever their requirements are all under one roof.

For medical moulders already producing vital monitoring devices, including oxygen, weight, glucose and ECG devices, as well as infusion pumps and cannulas etc. and already meeting the exacting healthcare standards, the transition to homecare device production should be relatively seamless.

Also observed during the pandemic, larger scale adoption of home healthcare and smart diagnostic devices, continues to accelerate at pace.

Furthermore, TDL has garnered various international certifications and honors over the years, which stand as a testament to its pursuit and commitment to quality and service. These recognitions reinforce TDL's status as a trusted and reliable partner for businesses around the world.