Call Us 763-425-3355 Search ARTICLES Lowell regularly contributes to and is sought out for inclusion in industry articles about medical device manufacturing. Find the latest news and information below. Automated Data Analysis: Making the Case Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine Shifting to automated data analysis for process qualification activities can improve the effort for manufacturers and their customers in several ways. Lowell’s manufacturing team needed to start making a customer’s part on a new machine. The newer mill/turn machine was automated and would save a lot of machining time versus the original milling machine, but it required reprogramming the part. Read Article Keys to a Successful First Article Inspection Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine First article inspection (FAI) is a necessary step to ensure a manufacturing process will create a medical device that works as designed and meets requirements. It is a near-to-100-percent inspection of the first part that comes off a machine. The data and measurements gathered from FAI become part of the medical device file, which is required for FDA submissions and ISO 13485. The FAI also builds confidence in the manufacturing process. Once it is submitted and approved, it’s assumed the same process will be in place for every part produced after that. From a contract manufacturer’s perspective, a smooth FAI is important to its OEM customer’s satisfaction… Read Article Machining Modern Medicine Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine Medical industry technologies are evolving to serve more surgical and patient needs. People are living longer, with higher expectations for staying active as they age. Surgeons want better devices, instruments, and tools to help them achieve these goals—which in most cases requires state-of-the-art manufacturing and tight-tolerance machining. Machining continues to advance to meet the challenges of making smaller and more complex devices, sometimes from newer, harder-to-machine materials… Read Article Behind the Scenes, Automation Drives Manufacturing Results Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine As product development shifts from engineering to production, manufacturers take the lead on delivering parts that meet the engineer’s design intent and are on time and budget. While not always visible to the customer, one way manufacturers can meet these expectations is through automated machining processes. Automation opens new ways to create a more consistent part at the point of manufacturing… Read Article Inspection Benefits of Profile Tolerancing Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine Profile tolerancing offers an array of benefits for device inspection over the more commonly used linear plus/minus dimensioning. Read Article Successful Design and Development Requires Early Collaboration Bonezone Magazine In this competitive environment where speed to market is vital, the design and prototyping phase of any project carries more importance than ever before. Companies that can collaboratively work with suppliers from the onset and communicate throughout the project will have a better chance of being successful. We spoke with five suppliers with expertise in design and development to get their perspective on design and prototyping in the orthopedic industry… Read Article Learn and Adapt Enterprise Minnesota Magazine It was the mid-’90s, and Lowell, Inc., a manufacturer based in Brooklyn Park, had earned a solid reputation providing parts for computer hard drive manufacturers. But it lost a major client in an uncertain market and, as a result, Lowell watched its workforce shrink from 120 to 45 employees in six months. Read Article Three Steps to Improve the Manufacturing Process with Pre-Production Meetings Orthopedic Design and Technology Magazine Pre-production meetings are critical part of the manufacturing process at Lowell, Inc. Read this article on Smarter Engineering by Thomas Van Wilpe, a Manufacturing Engineer here at on how to conduct these time-saving meetings. Read Article The Eleven Steps of Metrology Matching Orthopedic Design & Technology Magazine Metrology matching is a process that aligns two separate inspection systems—typically your system and a supplier’s—to ensure consistent results. The article written by Lowell… Read Article The Impact of Multitasking in Today’s Shops Production Machining Multitasking machinery is helping manufacturers increase productivity. Production Machining highlights Lowell’s investment in multitasking machinery to increase throughput in this article. Read Article 1 2 Sign up for our newsletter Name* Email* CAPTCHA 13485:2016 Registered FDA Registered #2134470 LOWELL, INC. 9425 83rd Ave N Minneapolis, MN 55445 763-425-3355 © 2021 Lowell Inc.