Advanced micro and nano manufacturing technologies used in medical domain

This paper focuses on the aspects of advanced manufacturing technologies, namely micro and nano manufacturing (MNM) capabilities which are particularly relevant to medical domain. In recent years, the so called disruptive technologies have enabled engineers and clinicians to collaborate in solving complex problems which require advanced MNM capabilities to develop medical applications. As a result what was nearly impossible a few years ago, due to limitations in machining and manufacturability of micro and nano scale artefacts, are now made possible thanks to innovative manufacturing processes and technologies. The potential medical applications of the new MNM methods are immense and in this paper four potential uses, namely as medical devices, lab on chips, and brain implants are presented and discussed. These works were based on different projects undertaken by researchers at Cardiff University, UK. The manufacturing costs, though initially high, are expected to reduce over time as the technologies mature and become more widely available. Introducing these MNM technologies and disseminating these results to healthcare engineering, for a better quality of medical diagnosis and treatments with cost-effective solutions, will greatly benefit the majority of population who live in the developing countries in receiving appropriate and affordable medical care to achieve improvements in their quality of life

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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Microinjection moulding: the influence of runner systems on flow behaviour and melt fill of multiple microcavities

To increase productivity and thus reduce the unit cost, often micro moulding tools incorporate multiple cavities and the selected runner design and applied pressure are very important for achieving satisfactory moulding results. The main function of the runner system is to facilitate the flow of molten material from the injection nozzle into the mould cavity. Therefore, the microinjection filling process depends on the optimum design of runner systems and this is an important prerequisite for the production of high quality parts. In this context, the paper reports on an experimental study that investigates the flow behaviour of the polymer melts in microcavities with a particular focus on the relationship between the filling of micro parts and the size of the runner system. In particular, the runner size effects on the microinjection moulding process were investigated by focusing the research on only the filling stage of the process. The filling performance of spiral-like micro cavities was studied as a function of runner size in combination with melt temperature, mould temperature, injection speed, and holding pressure time employing the design of the experiment approach. In addition, the results were analysed further with melt flow simulation to identify the effects of the runner size together with flow properties of the polymers, PP and ABS, on the behaviour of the microinjection moulding process