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Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies
Improving Global Quality of Life
9.15.1
Hot topics
Replacement of soldering on low/medium production volume electrical applications such as
leadframe/busbar joining and wire terminations.
Benefits:
rapid, local heating resulting in:
Lower energy usage (process energy saving),Monometallic joints (easier to recycle), Lower resistance
joints (energy saving/improved performance), Joints can be closer together (aids miniaturisation),
Joints can be closer to temperature sensitive materials/devices (aids miniaturisation/less material
employed).
Replacement of adhesives on polymer and metal components.
Benefits
:
Reduction in chemical usage, No added impurities (adhesive) resulting in easier recycling/
reuse, Lower cost production cycle.
The primary challenges to more widely adopting these welding techniques in microtechnology are:
Refining the welding and jigging systems to accommodate the reducing geometry and automated
assembly process.
Developing welding process (e.g. micro-friction stir) for some difficult to weld, very thin materials
(
e.g. Al-SiC, <0.5 mm in thickness).
Establishing customer acceptable inspection/validation techniques.
In summary, microtechnology is fundamental to the operation of a wide range of products across all industrial
sectors. Key to its development is joining technology and there are significant opportunities to increase
the use of welding to solve new assembly problems (e.g. complex multi-functional devices), reduce costs
and environmental impact (e.g. lower energy processes, environmentally friendly materials, low impact
disassembly).
9.16
Medical devices
The medical device market is composed of multiple segments devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of
human disease and/or disorder. According to a Health Research International (HRI) report sponsored by
Medtech Insights, the medical device and diagnostics (MD&D) market generated close to $220 billion in
global revenues in 2005. The U.S. is among the top threemarkets for medical devices with 48% of global sales,
followed by Europe and Japan. The US market for medical devices was estimated to increase at a compound
annual growth rate of 3.62% and reach $85.99 billion in 2010. High growth is expected in cardiovascular,
endoscopy, and orthopaedics markets. Growth rates for the medical technology markets in other countries
with expanding economies – Brazil, PR China, Korea, India, Taiwan, and Mexico – are higher than that of the
U.S. China is the world’s fastest growing medical device market, with 28% annual growth in recent years. The
market is expected to continue to grow to over $320 billion worldwide over the next five years.
Over 72% of sales within this sector have been generated within the top 50 companies. Johnson & Johnson
companies accounted for over $15 billion in global sales in 2004, which is an 8% overall market share. The
second largest provider, with $10 billion in sales is Medtronic. With the acquisition of Guidant, Boston
Scientific will be a close contender for Medtronic for second place in global sales according to the HRI report.
The HRI report indicates that almost half of the 2005 revenues were generated from four major segments
including cardiovascular disease therapies, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), diagnostic imaging equipment/services/
contract, and orthopaedic devices including spine. Ten clinical applications/conditions were identified in
9
Needs and challenges of major industry sectors for future applications
