Amsterdam-based Wright Medical Group NV agreed to acquire Alpharetta, Georgia-based Cartiva Inc., a private orthopedic company focused on thhe treatment of osteoarthritis of the big toe. Wright will acquire 100% of Cartiva's outstanding equity on a fully diluted basis for $435 million in cash.

Marlborough, Massachusetts-based Boston Scientific has agreed to acquire Fremont, California-based medical devices manufacturer Veniti in a deal valued at $160 million – an investor in Veniti since 2016, Boston Scientific has 25% stake in the company, paying $108 million for the remaining stake. Company officials agreed to pay up to $52 million after U.S. FDA approval of the Vici stent system. In June 2018, the company submitted a pre-market approval (PMA) application to the FDA; presently, the system is an investigational device in the U.S.

Carmel, Indiana-based Nanovis completed a $5.5 million funding round brokered by Commenda Securities. Key investors include Elevate Ventures, 1st Source Capital Corporation, Purdue’s Foundry Investment Fund, Commenda Capital, and Ellipsis Ventures.

Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Starkey Hearing Technologies' hearing aid with integrated sensors and artificial intelligence – Livio AI – tracks brain and body health, and has a natural user interface with tap control, language translation, and advanced environmental detection. The first device to track physical activity and cognitive health as measured by hearing aid use in social situations, the launch also includes a mobile app – Thrive Hearing; and three wireless accessories – the Starkey Hearing Technologies TV, the Remote, and the Remote Microphone +. With the Remote Micorophone+, Livio AI is also the first hearing aid featuring Amazon Alexa connectivity.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based Titan Medical, a medical device company focused on the design and development of a robotic surgical system for application in minimally invasive surgery (MIsS), has been granted U.S. Patent No. 10,058,396, "System and Apparatus for Insertion of an Instrument Into a Body Cavity for Performing a Surgical Procedure." The patent covers technology that advances the ease of use and positioning of robotic surgical systems, including single-port robotic surgical systems such as the company's SPORT Surgical System. The technology was developed internally at Titan and was led by Dr. Perry Genova, the company's senior vice-president of R&D.

Plan to attend The IIC 2018 Conferences to gain deeper insights into new manufacturing technologies and ideas!

About the topic

With all of the talk about Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) it is easy to get excited about the possibilities the future has to offer. All of the innovation in manufacturing throughout the years has resulted in more production with higher quality. The limits on what is considered precise have constantly been improving. While Industry 4.0 focuses on adding more tracking and data to improve manufacturing, it will accomplish the same goal of more production at a higher quality. The way that it will accomplish this is with intent. Engineers and managers will be able to make decisions with more intent based on the information at hand. Another technology that will advance manufacturing through intent is applied expansion technology for ID/OD clamping.

Registration is now open, so check out the IMTS 2018 website for more information. 

Applied expansion technology has the ability to provide the highest level of accuracy in part/tool locating and holding. With repeat accuracy in the 0.003mm range, applied expansion technology will advance precision workholding to improve production quality as manufacturing becomes more sophisticated. From applications in the aerospace industry to the energy sector, by designing fixturing with intent, manufacturers will achieve tighter tolerances and produce superior products. Engineered solutions for part holding, whether mechanical or hydraulic, will become more common in the manufacturing environment, just like connectivity; both pursuing the goal of higher output while redefining precision.

Meet your presenter

Jeff Wills graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. During this time he also worked at the Institute Machine Shop helping design, machine, and assemble projects for his fellow students. Following graduation, Wills gained industry experience at a small company designing and manufacturing industrial machinery for the plastics industry. From there he joined Schunk in 2016 and works in the Toolholding department focusing on custom engineered solutions using Schunk’s hydraulic expansion technology.