SALT LAKE CITY—Medical device contract manufacturer Biomerics, a vertically integrated company in the interventional device market, recently began offering vertically integrated metal injection molding (MIM) services. Through its new Metal Injection Molding Center of Excellence, Biomerics is further enhancing “its commitment to contract design and manufacturing excellence in the metals space,” the company said in a release.
By combining MIM with “other leading micro metals processing capabilities,” the company’s vertically integrated Micro Metals Division bolsters Biomerics’s capabilities to manufacture a full range of highly specialized, complex interventional medical devices and components. Its offerings include the intricate components used in surgical robotics and minimally-invasive surgical device applications, the company stated.
“Metal injection molding is a valuable enhancement to our metals manufacturing capabilities,” said Arun Mohan, president of Biomerics’s Micro Metals Division, in the release. “Investing in innovative manufacturing technologies like MIM enables us to better serve our global customers. This exciting addition reflects our ongoing commitment to providing best-in-class services and capabilities that meet the evolving design and manufacturing needs of our partners.”
Metal injection molding, routinely used in medical devices, is a proven technology for producing high-volume, highly repeatable runs of metal components requiring complex geometries, tight tolerances, and demanding performance. Because MIM is a molding process, it is said to overcome the design limitations of other metal fabrication processes. It can produce extremely thin-walled, unique-shaped, and micro-sized components, the release stated.
According to Biomerics, the high production efficiency of MIM lowers operational costs while consistently producing high-quality parts. The company described metal injection molding as “an ideal process for components that need to maintain the high-performance mechanical properties of metals, such as high density, homogeneous microstructure, corrosion resistance, magnetic permeability, or hermetic sealing functionality.” Unlike other metal casting processes, MIM maintains the strength of the wrought metal and is reported to achieve theoretical density of 95 percent to 99 percent.
“This investment in MIM reflects our 30-year pursuit of innovation and manufacturing excellence,” said Travis Sessions, chief executive officer of Biomerics, in the release. “I’m thrilled to see our vertical integration on full display throughout our growing global operations, particularly in our Micro Metals Division. This investment also says a lot about the performance of our growing metals teams, the markets we manufacture for, and our commitment to delivering the latest innovations in the medical device manufacturing industry. Our new Metal Injection Molding Center of Excellence will continue to fuel our growth with best-in-class speed-to-market capabilities.”
Biomerics stated in the release that it supplies 20 of the top 30 medical device OEMs globally. The company provides engineering design and development services, technology transfer manufacturing services, and contract manufacturing services—including sterilization and packaging—for medical device components, subassemblies, and finished medical devices.