Originally Published MPMN January/February 2002

EDITOR'S PAGE

Making MPMN an Even More Rewarding Read

Because we report on a vast array of products that are integrated into medical devices or used in their manufacture, some oddly named components crop up on our pages now and again. However, I don't think we have ever featured an item quite as intriguing as the flux generator, which you will find somewhere within the Products and Services section of this issue. Even if you don't crave just-in-time turmoil, I encourage you to hunt for it: you might win a $100 Sharper Image gift certificate.

The flux generator is the product used for the first installment of the MPMN Reader Contest, which will continue through the rest of the year. The premise is simple: Find the rogue product description (the headline will change with each issue, but we'll be sure to provide you with a clue) and select the corresponding reader service number. Readers who specify that number on the reader service card in this issue or on RequestLink at www.devicelink.com/mpmn by February 15 will be entered in a random drawing for a RewardsCard redeemable at Sharper Image stores, through the company's catalogs, or on its Web site. The rules are posted on the MPMN home page, noted above. Good luck!

We are also introducing a couple of features in this issue that we hope you will find professionally rewarding.

Design engineers and other MPMN readers are invited to share some of their favorite work-related Web sites in a new column titled My Favorite Bookmarks. Our first guest columnist is Damon Black, a product engineer from Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, a firm that designs and manufactures neurostimulation devices. Among his recommendations on page 10 is a materials selection site that incorporates a wizard to help users find application-specific polymers from more than 30,000 resins in the database. If you would like to trumpet your Internet finds in a future issue of MPMN, contact associate editor Zachary Turke by phone, 310/445-4268, or e-mail, [email protected].

A Free Samples page, which highlights suppliers who have agreed to furnish product samples to readers upon request, also makes its debut in this issue. A broad array of items is featured on page 32, from a photocurable adhesive and membrane switch to a surface-mount pressure sensor. To receive samples of these or other products described in this section, simply indicate the corresponding reader service number on the card in this issue or on-line at RequestLink.

Looking ahead, I'm happy to announce that the Emerging Technologies section that debuted in MPMN last year will return in this year's March issue. This feature, highlighting components, equipment, and processes that represent a significant technological advance for medical device OEMs, was intended to be a one-time special section. The article received such a positive response when it first appeared in the March 2001 issue, however, that we have decided to bring it back as a regular annual feature.

That is just one example of how your comments and suggestions help to shape the editorial content of MPMN. We sincerely look forward to continuing that dialogue in 2002.

Norbert Sparrow

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