Medical Engineering

Miniaturized and personalized products – at Fraunhofer IWS we investigate important future topics in medical engineering. Especially for personalized medical devices the cost factor plays a decisive role. Innovations will only prevail in everyday medical practice if they offer an advantage over the current state-of-the-art while being affordable at the same time.

We develop solutions in close cooperation with medical institutions, research institutes and manufacturers of medical devices. We apply novel manufacturing processes and artificial intelligence (AI) methods to realize, individualize and digitize medical devices and products. Additive manufacturing processes in combination with the use of high-performance materials are proving to be important cornerstones for customized and quality manufacturing. In addition, integrated ”lab-on-chip” systems will provide a fast and cost-effective solution for near-patient laboratory diagnostics in the future. 

Additive Manufacturing in Medical Engineering

We research, among other things, high-tech dental replacements, prostheses and individually adapted seats for wheelchairs. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's German-Polish ATeM High-Performance Center is developing new technologies for the use of 3D printing processes in medical engineering.

 

High-Performance Center “Additive Technologies for Medicine and Health“ (ATeM)

 

Press release / 28.6.2021

When the hip joint comes out of the printer

German-Polish High-Performance Center brings additive manufacturing to medical technology 

Biologization in Medical Engineering

Biologization in medical engineering describes the integration of principles from nature into the development of medical products and solutions. Bioinspired structures and biofunctional surfaces and layers lead to an improvement in the biocompatibility of medical products, implants and prostheses. Materials and systems that mimic the biochemical and mechanical properties of natural tissues can thus, for example, minimize the risk of foreign body reactions in the organism and contribute to longer durability.

BioTPMS

TPMS-based additively manufactured titanium bone implants with bioadaptive bone tissue structure, Timeframe: 09/2021–08/2022 (BMBF, FKZ: 13XP5144)

ADAMAS

Adaptive metal coatings based on the principle of biological modification (BMBF, FKZ: 13XP5140)

BioGrip

Intelligent gripping tool with self-adaptive properties – innovative technology solution based on a biological model, Timeframe: 07/2021–06/2022 (BMBF, FKZ: 02P20E110)

 

Our Services for Medical Engineering

Learn more about our latest research and development services. Do you have any questions about our comprehensive portfolio? Our contact partners will be happy to answer them. They will help to identify, evaluate and take advantages of opportunities.

 

Press release / 2.3.2023

A New Generation of Instruments for Gas Permeation Measurement

“SimPerm” Project Enables Simultaneous Determination of Oxygen and Water Vapor Permeation Rates for the First Time

 

Press release / 9.1.2023

Radioactive Substances Fight Cancer in the Mini-lab

Reduce the number of animal experiments in radiopharmaceutical research

 

Press release / 29.6.2022

Fraunhofer project FibroPaths®

Enabling rapid and safe development of antifibrotic drugs

 

Press release / 27.1.2022

Lab-on-chip systems

From prototype to series production in no time

 

News / 11.2.2021

Intelligent robots for targeted combating of viruses and bacteria

Post-cleaning concepts for the removal of reaction and decomposition products 

 

Press release / 26.2.2020

Detect cell changes faster

Detecting changes in cell cultures of cartilage and soft tissue