University of Ulster

Jabil experts offer design for sustainability advice to reduce the environmental footprint of drug delivery devices and other high-volume medtech products. By Conor Mulcahy and Oliver Eden, Jabil Sustainability plays a critical role during the early design phase of a medical device. About 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined in its design phase. If sustainability is a key requirement for the product, designers should leverage design for sustainability (DFS) principles to deliver a solution that will account for the reduction of resources used and maximize conservation across the manufacturing value chain while also lowering the total cost of goods over the lifecycle of the product. This experience was leveraged to maximize the sustainability of the Qfinity autoinjector, giving it an 80% lower carbon footprint than market leading mechanical disposable auto-injectors. Here are six lessons from the Qfinity autoinjector’s design and development that medtech engineers can use to develop more sustainable devices. 1. Clearly understand the device’s intended use, function and lifecycle. The type of device you are building will impact all of the sustainability considerations we’ll discuss below. Engagement with patients and healthcare professionals during the design process is very important. Understanding their needs and behaviors helped guide the Qfinity autoinjector’s design to deliver medication as simply as possible, improving patient adherence and compliance while reducing the risk of errors and misuse scenarios, which maximizes the device’s sustainability. Devices also need to be appropriately designed to be robust and reliable for their expected lifecycle. Engineering safety factors need to be sufficiently robust to meet the requirements but not over-engineered, which can add cost and complexity when not needed. For the Qfinity reusable autoinjector, we leveraged cross-industry experience designing products for sustainability and focused on getting the product requirements document (PRD) correctly defined. As a device moves through the design process, these disciplines must be maintained or you run the risk of reducing the product’s overall sustainability performance. 2. Optimize your material selection. Optimized material selection is one of the most crucial elements of sustainable design. At Jabil, we’ve developed a database to compare various materials for medical devices on a range of criteria for sustainability, including: recycling method, environmental impact of the material’s production, carbon footprint of the material’s supply chain, the supplier’s sustainability credentials, and the material’s expected outcome post-use. It’s important to consider the environmental impact of the materials used, especially plastic resins and other common medtech materials. The use of recycled plastics is a potential frontier, but there are challenges due to scale (with reliable sources of recycled materials lacking) and the risks of contamination and material traceability. However, another option is a bio-based resin that is not sourced from fossil fuels. For example, Celanese has developed Hostaform MT POM ECO-B, a sustainable medical grade material which is almost identical to their existing POM product, but is made up of around 97% bio-content. This biogas-derived material has less than 50% of the carbon footprint of the original material produced from fossil fuels but meets the same performance criteria. 3. Modularity matters. When possible, device design should leverage interchangeable parts and allow for easy repair or replacement without discarding the device. The Qfinity autoinjector’s platform design covers both 1 mL and 2.25 mL, connected and mechanical, with mechanisms that have 80% common parts, assemblies, and manufacturing processes. This modular platform approach allows the manufacturer to industrialize a single manufacturing cell to serve all variants, reducing the manufacturing footprint and energy consumption. 4. Get circular. Reusability was a critical area of focus for our Qfinity autoinjector design team. The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) released a whitepaper calling on the pharma industry to increase adoption of circular economy principles to better preserve resources and maximize product lifecycles. A reusable autoinjector is a compelling solution for the opportunities described within EFPIA’s analysis and bears out advantages that single-use injector products just cannot match. 5. Consider sustainable manufacturing methods during design. Energy use during production adds up for high-volume devices like autoinjectors. Injection molding is highly energy efficient when producing large quantities of identical parts. Meanwhile, engineered thermoplastics ensure durability and compatibility with medical standards but also support recycling potential, further enhancing sustainability. 6. Stay sharp on industry regulations. Designers need to ensure sustainability initiatives align with regulations and standards such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS), Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), and the Energy Using Products (EuP), all of which have already positively impacted the sustainability of medical devices containing electronics. Designers must also stay aware of national and international laws — like the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) — that may have a trickle-down effect on their design choices. There are now programs to reduce medical device waste by returning used devices for recycling, repurposing, refurbishing and reuse. Jabil operates three medical device reprocessing plants in Maple Grove, Minnesota, that process and repackages thousands of medical devices every year. But these programs present additional regulatory hurdles, such as establishing a safe means of returning the devices with a low burden on the user and developing infrastructure to introduce the returned devices safely and efficiently into the circular economy. Designers should consider how or if medical reprocessing will play a role in their design for sustainability and understand the associated regulatory challenges. Conor Mulcahy is the senior director of research and development in Jabil‘s healthcare division, responsible for the development of strategic capabilities to support pharmaceutical solutions, and was the Qfinity autoinjector development engineer responsible for the technical development of the solution to meet the product requirements. Mulcahy holds a master’s degree in engineering design from University College Dublin and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ulster University. Oliver Eden is a senior business unit director for Jabil‘s healthcare division, focused on pharmaceutical solutions, and was the product manager responsible for strategy to deliver the Qfinity autoinjector and meet customer and market requirements. Eden holds a Ph.D. in biomaterials engineering and master’s degree in mechanical engineering, both from the University of Exeter. How to submit a contribution to MDO The opinions expressed in this blog post are the author’s only and do not necessarily reflect those of Medical Design & Outsourcing or its employees.

The winners of the 2023 WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition, held in conjunction with FANUC UK, have been announced at an awards ceremony in Manchester. Representing the best of the UK’s rising robotics talent, Hannah Currie and Peter O’Neill from Northern Regional College in Northern Ireland beat over 50 young apprentices and students to take gold at the national finals, which were held over three days in November at FANUC’s UK headquarters in Coventry. The duo now have the chance to represent Team UK at the WorldSkills International Industrial Robotics competition in 2024. The five teams that made it to the UK national finals were tasked with accurately programming a FANUC ER4-iA robot according to a brief set by the company’s technical team. This involved picking and placing parts and incorporated sensors and pneumatics components, as well as an extension task to create a digital twin. The teams were judged on a variety of skills such as accuracy of programming and equipment installation, as well as teamwork, safety, time management and documentation. The winning team triumphed with an overall score of 97%. The benefits to young people of taking part in the WorldSkills UK competition are myriad: from increasing their confidence, challenging their technical skill level and learning how to work as a team, to boosting their CV and helping them stand out when applying for future roles in the industry. Winner Hannah Currie is currently in the second year of a Foundation Degree in Engineering and is pursuing a Higher Level Apprenticeship in Engineering with Wrightbus, where she is employed as a Manufacturing Technician. After receiving her award, Currie commented “It involved a lot of extra work, but it was well worth the effort as the skills we developed and the knowledge we picked up along the way will always stay with us and help us in our careers.” Teammate Peter O’Neill trained as a welder with McAuley Engineering and completed a Foundation Degree in Engineering at Northern Regional College. He is now a second-year BEng Mechanical Engineering student with Ulster University and has encouraged other students to get involved in the WorldSkills UK competition: “You will learn new skills which could open future job opportunities. Participating in WorldSkills and qualifying for the national finals is something that will stand out on a CV.” The finals were judged by a panel of experts from FANUC UK comprising competition organiser and technical manager, Paul Coombes; technical sales support engineer Dan Dunn; Fintan Collins, FANUC UK Academy trainer; and former WorldSkills UK finalist Hara Konstantelia, now a FANUC technical sales support engineer. Konstantelia commented “Having seen both sides, I believe that the WorldSkills UK initiative is a great way of getting young people into robotics engineering by showing them what projects involve and what programming is. It teaches industry-level skills that are a really useful preparation for a career in automation.” As a WorldSkills UK partner, FANUC is keen to inspire the next generation of robotics engineers and believes the programme is a great way to do this. “We want to engage with young people and enthuse them about robotics engineering as a career choice, so it was great to see so many talented entrants for this year’s contest,” said Paul Coombes. “The standard of the finalists was extremely high, and it was an honour to crown Hannah and Peter the winners with an outstanding score of 97%. The competition will soon be opening for entries for 2024, so if you know a young person who might like to give robotics a try, please encourage them to enter. There are no downsides to taking part!” Ben Blackledge, chief executive, WorldSkills UK said: “This is a life-changing moment for these young engineers. They are the new generation of high flyers that will give UK employers a competitive edge. Our finals, in partnership with FANUC UK, not only celebrate the best in young talent, but also provide a vital opportunity to see how skill development in the UK stacks up both domestically and against our international neighbours. Skills will continue to be a key differentiator for business both at home and abroad and through our programmes we are working to ensure that all apprentices and students across the UK can gain access to high-quality technical education and apprenticeships that lead to real success for them and the UK as a whole.”

Independent, peer-reviewed studies shows 86 per cent of forces on the head in community rugby are the same or less than those experienced in general exercise such as running and jumping. Most contact events in men's and women's elite rugby do not result in players experiencing significant force, according to new research. World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont has welcomed results from the largest ever studies into the forces experienced by rugby players. The results, which provide players and parents with greater clarity and confidence than ever before into the benefits and safety of rugby, are a first anywhere in world sport. The Otago Community Head Impact Detection study (ORCHID) a joint project between World Rugby, Prevent Biometrics, New Zealand Rugby, Otago Rugby and the University of Otago, has published the first independent, peer-reviewed findings into community rugby following almost two years of trail-blazing research. The study measures over 17,000 separate head acceleration events across more than 300 players from senior rugby through to U13s level. This work was followed by the Elite Extension of the ORCHID study in partnership with the Ulster University and Premiership Rugby. Further updates into the women's community game are currently being prepared for peer review and publication. Both studies used smart mouthguard technology, supplied by Prevent Biometrics, to understand the forces on the head experienced by players both in matches and training situations. The mouthguards measure g-forces which are experienced for less time than it takes to blink, using technology independently verified both in research laboratories and on the field of play. The ORCHID paper shows that in the men's community game: The Elite Extension study also showed that: World Rugby has already used preliminary findings from the ORCHID study to inform trials of a lower tackle height in the community game. The international federation has also expanded and enhanced the range of training for players and coaches available for free online including the Tackle Ready and new Breakdown Ready programmes. At the elite level, in a world first, World Rugby announced in October that smart mouthguards will be added to the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocols from January 2024. Dr Melanie Bussey, Associate Professor in Biomechanics at the University of Otago said, "Our ultimate goal as researchers is to make a meaningful impact through our work. Therefore, we are extremely pleased to see our work integrated into new strategies and guidelines designed to enhance player safety. We appreciate World Rugby's approach, which granted us the time to ensure robustness in our analysis and the autonomy to let the data speak for itself." "Looking ahead, we believe that Smart mouthguard technology holds immense potential for advancing player safety and performance analysis in rugby and beyond. Our research has opened doors to a wealth of insights, and we are committed to further exploring this innovative field. We envision continued collaboration with World Rugby and other stakeholders to harness the full potential of this technology, driving advancements that will benefit players and the sport as a whole. The journey has just begun, and we are excited to embark on it." Dr Gregory Tierney, Assistant Professor in Biomechanics at Ulster University said, "These studies put in the groundwork so that we can now monitor player head impact exposure in rugby and develop strategies to ensure the game is played in the safest possible manner. Smart mouthguards can aid sideline medical decision making and it is exciting that our research has contributed to World Rugby implementing the technology into the Head Injury Assessment protocol." World Rugby Sir Bill Beaumont welcomed the world-leading study: "Using the latest research and technology is at the heart of our six point plan to make rugby the most progressive sport in the world on player welfare. These studies are concrete proof that World Rugby us putting our time, energy and efforts in to back up our words and the insights gained are already helping us make evidence-led moves to make the sport even safer, we will never stand still on player welfare. "I'd like to thank the players all across the world who took part in the study, what they have helped to shed light on will be invaluable in advancing player welfare in rugby at all levels. Using this data we can say with some certainty that community and elite level rugby are very much the same game, but played very differently. World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Dr Eanna Falvey said "It is encouraging to see that alongside our recent research into the health benefits of rugby, we now have the data that offers a more complete picture of what it is like to play our sport. These studies gives us the ability like never before to understand the causes of head impacts and accelerations and we will leave no stone unturned, making whatever changes may be needed to reduce large forces to the head in our game." New Zealand Rugby General Manager Community Rugby Steve Lancaster said: "New Zealand Rugby has an absolute commitment to making the game as safe as possible and reducing the risk of injury to our participants at all levels. We believe that there are so many benefits to playing rugby and are committed to balancing those with the need to respond to the research and risks in an appropriate way. "We're particularly proud that our New Zealand rugby community has been at the forefront of this research, and we are already seeing this contribution make a material difference through initiatives like the reduced tackle height in community rugby that has been positively received." The studies into come in the wake of recent World Rugby commissioned research which shows that playing rugby provided USD 1.5bn in preventative healthcare savings around the world, 30 per cent reductions in levels of childhood obesity, 15% reduction in heart disease and 33 per cent reduction in mental illness amongst adults.