Organizers of this year’s MD&M West have taken the event to another level by providing attendees with more opportunities for networking than ever. The event will take place February 8–10, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center and will host 3000 exhibitors and several shows that address a variety of manufacturing needs.
The MD&M West badge gives attendees access to the
following shows:

Additional pavilions offer attendees a chance to meet with suppliers that work in specialty fields. Visitors to the LaserTec pavilion can learn about how lasers are used in precision welding, fine cutting, drilling, and marking processes, along with how they can integrate the technology into their manufacturing processes. Professionals involved in medical packaging equipment and materials should check out Medpak for the latest information about high-speed fillers, dispensers, sealers, thermoformers, labeling and printing equipment, flexible pouches, and barrier films.

At the PrecisionTec pavilion, manufacturers of precision-engineered products can find out more about the materials, components, equipment, and technologies used to design and build cutting-edge devices such as stents, stent grafts, catheters, guidewires, and pacing systems.

Quality remains one of the most important aspects of the manufacturing process, so be sure to visit the special Quality section for testing and inspection products. Exhibited services include optical and laser inspection equipment, materials testing equipment, quality assurance test equipment and services, product reliability technology, surface measurement, data acquisition and collection devices, and validation software.

Attendees will also have access to live product demonstrations and the Innovation Briefs presentations, which take place all three days and cover a wide range of topics within product development. Speakers will tackle topics such as contact design in high-reliability connector systems, EPA regulations regarding PTFE coatings and options for device manufacturers, and trends in lab design and construction.

Manufacturers involved in the medical electronics industry won’t want to miss the new DesignMed conference, which will cover a range of topics for designers of high-tech devices. The hands-on classes will be held February 8–10 and feature two tracks each day. Attendees will learn how to design a device specific to their needs, including the analog component aspect of product design. There will also be a class on the evolution of power packaging for implantable cardio applications and techniques in medical imaging. 

Conference sessions take place February 7–10 and feature speakers from FDA, law and consulting firms, medical device companies, and suppliers. The FDA track boasts speakers with agency experience in issues that include 510(k)s, agency enforcement, global strategies for market access, and FDA-industry communication. For professionals interested in validation, several sessions will cover strategies for how to develop and execute protocols for process validation. A four-day session on materials (check out one speaker's thoughts here) will explore selection and compatibility, how to meet the demands for biomedical applications, the challenges faced when working with modern products such as combination devices, and developing resorbable implants.