Altair Case Studies Reducing Medical Stent Stress by 71%: A Medtronic Case Study

	Reducing Medical Stent Stress by 71%: A Medtronic Case Study Altair

Reducing Medical Stent Stress by 71%: A Medtronic Case Study

Altair

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Applicable Industries	Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Digital Twin Virtual Reality
Challenge	Medtronic, a global leader in medical device manufacturing, was facing a significant challenge in the design and validation process of a new medical stent. The stent, an expandable mesh inserted into a patient's artery to keep it open, required meticulous design and rigorous testing. Traditional methods of computer-aided engineering (CAE) and virtual simulation were not fully utilized within the industry due to the slow verification process for often microscopic components. Medtronic was seeking a way to not only improve the design of the stent but also to speed up the validation process, ensuring a faster time-to-market and better performing products. Read More
About Customer	Medtronic is a renowned global manufacturer of medical devices. Their products are used worldwide in various medical procedures and treatments. One of their products is the medical stent, an expandable mesh that is inserted into a patient's artery to keep it open. The design and production of such a device require precision and rigorous testing to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Medtronic is committed to improving their products and processes to provide better healthcare solutions. Read More
Solution	In response to this challenge, Altair ProductDesign collaborated closely with Medtronic's engineers to develop a baseline model of the new stent. They assessed the design for structural characteristics such as stiffness, stresses, and fatigue performance. An optimization process was then developed to enhance the product's performance. By morphing the baseline model, five different geometric shapes were created, and sixty design variables were identified. These variables were fed into Altair's optimization software within HyperWorks to determine the best possible design for the stent. This innovative approach allowed for a more efficient and effective design and validation process. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation

Applicable Industries

Healthcare & Hospitals

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Digital Twin

Virtual Reality

Challenge

Medtronic, a global leader in medical device manufacturing, was facing a significant challenge in the design and validation process of a new medical stent. The stent, an expandable mesh inserted into a patient's artery to keep it open, required meticulous design and rigorous testing. Traditional methods of computer-aided engineering (CAE) and virtual simulation were not fully utilized within the industry due to the slow verification process for often microscopic components. Medtronic was seeking a way to not only improve the design of the stent but also to speed up the validation process, ensuring a faster time-to-market and better performing products.

About Customer

Medtronic is a renowned global manufacturer of medical devices. Their products are used worldwide in various medical procedures and treatments. One of their products is the medical stent, an expandable mesh that is inserted into a patient's artery to keep it open. The design and production of such a device require precision and rigorous testing to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Medtronic is committed to improving their products and processes to provide better healthcare solutions.

Solution

In response to this challenge, Altair ProductDesign collaborated closely with Medtronic's engineers to develop a baseline model of the new stent. They assessed the design for structural characteristics such as stiffness, stresses, and fatigue performance. An optimization process was then developed to enhance the product's performance. By morphing the baseline model, five different geometric shapes were created, and sixty design variables were identified. These variables were fed into Altair's optimization software within HyperWorks to determine the best possible design for the stent. This innovative approach allowed for a more efficient and effective design and validation process.

Impact #1	The collaboration with Altair ProductDesign resulted in a significant improvement in Medtronic's design and validation process. The use of optimization software allowed for a more efficient assessment of design variations, drastically reducing the time required for this process. Furthermore, the optimized design resulted in a stent with significantly improved stiffness and reduced stress, enhancing the product's performance. This simulation-led process has enabled Medtronic to produce better performing products and bring them to market faster than was previously possible, providing a competitive edge in the medical device industry.

Impact #1

The collaboration with Altair ProductDesign resulted in a significant improvement in Medtronic's design and validation process. The use of optimization software allowed for a more efficient assessment of design variations, drastically reducing the time required for this process. Furthermore, the optimized design resulted in a stent with significantly improved stiffness and reduced stress, enhancing the product's performance. This simulation-led process has enabled Medtronic to produce better performing products and bring them to market faster than was previously possible, providing a competitive edge in the medical device industry.

Benefit #1	The new process allowed for assessments on sixty design variations in a single night, a significant improvement over the previous process which took several days.
Benefit #2	The best performing design variation had 124% improved stiffness.
Benefit #3	The optimized design resulted in a 71% reduction in stress over the initial product.

Benefit #1

The new process allowed for assessments on sixty design variations in a single night, a significant improvement over the previous process which took several days.

Benefit #2

The best performing design variation had 124% improved stiffness.

Benefit #3

The optimized design resulted in a 71% reduction in stress over the initial product.

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Overview

Reducing Medical Stent Stress by 71%: A Medtronic Case Study

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit