Develop safe and effective medical devices with collaborative design and simulation
Connected Design: Delivering Faster MedTech Innovation
Leverage connected solutions to accelerate time to market, improve quality and drive sustainable innovation in MedTech.
The Urgent Need for Connected Innovation
Medical technology (MedTech) companies face growing demands from healthcare providers to develop products that address unmet needs, improve patient care and enhance user experience. As medical devices become more complex, the need for seamless collaboration has intensified. Based on the publication, “What's the Cost of Poor Collaboration” by Tech-Clarity (2020), 40% of engineering time is now influenced by how effectively teams work together.
The coordination of data, ideas and schedules across multiple disciplines — both within an organization and across external partners — creates valuable opportunities for innovation in MedTech.
Discover how the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform drives transparent communication among teams and ensures accurate alignment of processes through connected design solutions.
From Concept to Market
Discover all six connected advantage stages
- Stage 1: Concept
- Stage 2: Design and Development
- Stage 3: Verification and Validation
- Stage 4: Regulatory Clearance
- Stage 5: Manufacturing and Supply Chain
- Stage 6: Patient Experience
Stage 1: Concept
Connect the voice of the customer to design
Leverage the voice of the customer, insights from industry analysis and market research using a unified digital platform. Using simulation, rapidly explore innovative design concepts that meet customer needs and align with market demands.
Stage 2: Design and Development
Connect engineering teams for collaboration on product design and development
Unite multiple engineering disciplines with scalable simulation tools for dynamic adaptation of designs. Complete visibility drives seamless collaboration, reducing siloed work organizations.
Stage 3: Verification and Validation
Connect user requirements with simulation-driven testing
Utilize platform-based modeling and simulation tools to streamline verification and validation processes. Connect user requirements to simulation-driven test scenarios to gain full traceability, speed up test cycles and improve quality.
Stage 4: Regulatory Clearance
Connect innovative design with regulatory compliance
Compile regulatory dossiers quicker based on design history and requirements. Supplement real-world evidence with virtual simulation to adhere to global regulatory standards, accelerating time to market.
Stage 5: Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Connect quality devices with sustainable production
Connect engineering to manufacturing to prevent costly redesigns late in the process. With advanced lifecycle tools, optimize resources and ensure sustainable production of the device. Real-time monitoring quickly identifies and resolves quality issues, minimizing the risk of recalls.
Stage 6: Patient Experience
Connect patient experience to product optimization
Incorporate real-world data and patient feedback to continuously improve device design. This ensures that the product not only meets clinical standards but also drives innovation and enhances patient satisfaction.
Unifying Teams for Collective Innovation
According to Tech-Clarity, engineers typically collaborate with up to 35 people on complex products. However, many MedTech companies still rely on traditional design-build-test models, with 28% of engineers operating in isolation, often using outdated data. This leads to 80% of design issues being identified too late in development, causing costly product recalls.
Digital collaboration solves these inefficiencies through:
A unified environment
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform eliminates silos by connecting engineering, quality, manufacturing and regulatory teams on a single platform. This unified approach ensures full traceability and centralizes information for cross-functional alignment on compliance and workflows.
Real-time knowledge sharing
Teams can exchange insights and receive real-time updates across departments, fostering digital continuity. This streamlines validation and verification processes, which enables early identification and resolution of design challenges, reduces delays and cuts associated product recall costs by up to 300 times.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables MedTech innovators to work seamlessly in real time across disciplines, ensuring that every aspect — from design to regulatory compliance — is aligned with the highest standards of quality and safety.
Collaborate to Innovate in the MedTech Industry
Connect MedTech teams on a single platform for full traceability and digital continuity throughout the medical device development process.
Harness Simulation for Quality Products
The increasing complexity of devices demands sophisticated testing processes through modeling and simulation. Virtual twin technology on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables MedTech innovators to:
- Uphold product quality: Simulation-driven testing proactively identifies potential issues, such as mechanical fatigue or interference, early in product development. By predicting device performance under various conditions, teams can minimize design flaws and ensure compliance with safety standards.
- Virtual prototyping for real-world results: Simulating real-world conditions reduces the need for costly physical prototypes. Companies can detect design flaws and optimize performance virtually, accelerating the design cycle and tailoring medical devices that are intuitive to specific patient needs.
Lead with Sustainable Innovation
Sustainable practices are critical for both environmental responsibility and regulatory compliance. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides manufacturers with the data insights and tools necessary for:
- End-to-end lifecycle assessment: Manufacturers can effectively close the circularity loop by embedding sustainability into every stage of the product lifecycle. Each aspect of production — from raw material sourcing to end-of-life recycling — is optimized for carbon reduction and aligned with responsible manufacturing practices.
- Sustainable material innovation: Digital continuity enables manufacturers to explore alternative materials, such as bioplastics, and assess their interactions with the environment. This reduces reliance on traditional plastics, fostering a more sustainable future for MedTech devices.
Developing Intuitive MedTech: What You Need to Know
New devices often improve patient outcomes by offering enhanced precision, personalized treatment options and minimally invasive solutions. Smart wearable devices provide real-time health monitoring, enabling early detection of potential health issues. MedTech innovations can lead to faster recovery times, reduced complications and greater patient experience.
A digital collaborative environment like the 3DEXPERIENCE platform ensures that all aspects of design, testing and compliance are tracked and documented in real time. This enables teams to address requirements proactively, maintain up to date records and respond to inquiries more efficiently.
By addressing unmet clinical needs or improving ease of use for both patients and healthcare providers, a device of superior functionality becomes the product of choice for consumers. Combining rapid design and prototyping with virtual twin technology enables a truly user-centered design approach that considers how the medical device will function in a healthcare environment and fit a patient’s lifestyle.
Digital tools such as the 3DEXPERIENCE virtual twin allow for patient-centered simulations in healthcare settings, where healthcare teams — doctors, nurses, caregivers — can test and give feedback on prototypes in a controlled environment. This iterative process ensures that the final product addresses real-world needs and is optimized for usability, ultimately enhancing patient care and user satisfaction.