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Endicott Interconnect's Case Study: Medical Application
February 25, 2010 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The Client
The client is a public company that develops, manufactures and commercializes medical imaging devices for the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases. They are one of the world's leading manufacturers of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters and functional measurement guide wires, which are small enough to slip inside the coronary artery and give doctors information about the condition of the artery and peripheral vessels, including plaque and lesions and measure intracoronary blood flow.
The Challenge
Through collaborative industry efforts, the client learned of Endicott Interconnect and its manufacturing capabilities. The client wanted to automate the assembly process for the manufacture of their new IVUS catheter. They also needed help with process development and a second, temporary manufacturing source because they could not afford to risk production stoppages on their line for development activity.
The IVUS catheter assembly consists of a flexible substrate with multiple die and a PZT (receiver/transmitter) assembled on it. The subassembly then returns to the client for final assembly including dicing and rolling the flexible substrate up to fit into the tip of the catheter. The client was also experiencing quality and delivery problems with their current flexible substrate supplier.
The client produces two configurations of a PC Workstation Patient Interface Unit that works with the IVUS catheters. They were experiencing challenges during the manufacture of the PC Workstation's electromechanical assemblies; limited manufacturing and test capability was proving to be a major obstacle to meeting the increasing production demands.
The IVUS catheter slips inside the coronary artery, giving doctors a view of a patient's artery from the inside.
How it Works
The Solution
Endicott Interconnect developed a solution for the catheter that includes producing the flexible substrates as well as providing the flip chip assembly on the flexible substrate. This is one of the world's finest pitch soldered flip chip interconnect on a thin flexible film. Impressed by Endicott Interconnect's expertise on this difficult project, the client has asked them to be a permanent, rather than temporary manufacturing source and awarded them full turnkey manufacturing on the flexible substrate parts. In order to provide the second source manufacturing capability, Endicott Interconnect is purchasing new equipment to accommodate the large volume production over the next three years.
Endicott Interconnect's proven capacity and technical know-how led the client to award Endicott Interconnect the additional full turnkey electro-mechanical assembly on two different Patient Interface Units. Endicott Interconnect's capability and supply chain offers the client a lower cost solution by handling part procurement and assembly at their ISO 13485 certified facilities in Endicott, New York and Shenzhen, China.
The Benefits
The client was delighted with the quality, performance, delivery and cost Endicott Interconnect was able to provide as a supplier for the complete IVUS catheter and PC Workstation Patient Interface Unit. Using a reliable supplier also eliminated the client's need to invest in additional capital equipment for subassembly and box build purposes. More notably, the client was freed up to concentrate on developing and advancing their technologies to improve the diagnosis of heart conditions and offer less-invasive treatment options because Endicott Interconnect was able to take their product from prototype through sustainment.
The client utilizes EI's Shenzhen, China facility as a low cost solution for their box build.
Endicott Interconnect completes the electromechanical assembly, then returns the system to the Client for integration into the PC Workstation Patient Interface Unit.Editor's Note: For more medical news, visit our dedicated news page here.