Announced at the MedTech Conference, the startup receives $350K for a real-time, wearable stroke monitor for older Americans living with high stroke risk.

MedTech Innovator announced Alva Health as the winner of its 2021 Global Competition. The winning company was determined by a live audience vote on Sept. 29, 2021, during The MedTech Conference, powered by AdvaMed.

Alva Health, a medical technology startup based in New Haven, Connecticut, is developing a real-time, wearable stroke monitor for older Americans living with high stroke risk.

"Alva Health's mission is to develop, commercialize, and make accessible a first-in-class medical device that accurately detects strokes using patient-worn wearables,” says Sandra Saldana, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Alva Health. “This award represents a recognition of the tremendous clinical unmet need for patients, and an important milestone in Alva Health's journey. We are grateful to the MedTech Innovator community for their support and for the opportunity to receive mentorship from top leaders in the medical device industry, as we work toward fulfilling our mission to deliver this much needed technology to the millions of people who are at high risk for stroke."

MedTech Innovator received over 1,100 applications in this year’s cycle. 195 companies were invited to pitch during the MedTech Innovator Road Tour, with 50 companies ultimately receiving a slot in the 2021 Cohort. Alva Health is the recipient of the $350,000 grand prize which will be used to advance its business goals and objectives. The company has also been awarded a one-year AdvaMed Accel membership and will be profiled in the MedTech Strategist. BioDevek, Caretaker Medical, Cooler Heads Care, and Nutromics were runners-up and received a prize of $25,000 as finalists selected from this year’s MedTech Innovator Accelerator program.

“There was a general feeling of electricity and gratitude being back at The Medtech Conference in person this year. It was an honor to announce Alva Health as the grand prize winner after a live audience vote for their wearable stroke monitor that promises to up level the stroke care space,” says Paul Grand, founding CEO of MedTech Innovator. “Each year, we are on a mission to find the most promising startups from around the globe and connect them with the right stakeholders with the goal of reaching patients and improving lives. I can say with full confidence that not only Alva Health, but all of this year’s finalist companies are on track to bring life-changing health solutions into the hands of clinicians and their patients.”

Alva Health participated in the MedTech Innovator 2021 Accelerator program, which provides early-stage companies with in-depth, customized mentorship from key leaders in the medtech industry, exclusive virtual networking opportunities and workshops, and pitch sessions with investors, manufacturers, providers, and customers.

Currently in its ninth year, the MedTech Innovator competition awarded more than $500K in cash prizes and in-kind awards. Participating companies gained increasing amounts of exposure to industry leaders through online application reviews, online pitch sessions, and virtual competitions.

Judges of the 2021 final competition included: Christos Monovoukas, vice president, Global M&A Leader / Business Development, Olympus; Tonja Curtis-Danowski, vice president, Business Development, Johnson & Johnson; Arvind Shresta, director of Innovation, Urology & Critical Care, Becton Dickinson; Jacob Goble, innovation leader, medical products division, W.L. Gore & Associates.

“Congratulations to Alva Health for being named the 2021 MedTech Innovator grand prize winner,” says Susan Morano, vice president, business development and strategic operations for the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies. “All 50 companies selected for this year’s MedTech Innovator Showcase and Accelerator program show great promise in elevating patient care in their respective fields, and we look forward to watching these entrepreneurs bring value to the industry."

“As with every year of MedTech Innovator’s competitions, this year was extremely inspiring and featured cutting-edge innovations from around the world,” says Christos Monovoukas, vice president and Global M&A Leader, Business Development, Olympus. “Congratulations to Alva Health on this major accomplishment – we are eager to follow their progress in the stroke care field.”

MedTech Innovator also announced winners of the in-kind awards. Caira Surgical and Neurent Medical each received the JLABS Award, valued at $25,000. Kairos Technologies received the Oliver Healthcare Packaging Award, which provides exclusive technical and consultation services in the development of the sterile barrier system for their device, valued at $25,000. Evren Technologies was voted the winner of the $10,000 Best Video Award for their one-minute pitch video.

A new option in ToolRoom cures runout woes and helps to increase tool life and productivity.

Total indicator runout (TIR) is a term often used in manufacturing, especially when dealing with rotating parts such as cutting tools, particularly endmills and drills. TIR is defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum values measured across an entire rotating surface about a reference axis.

Manufacturing high quality, high performance tools requires the Total Indicator Runout to be perfect or minimal for overall tool life and surface finish. Runout on blanks before grinding can be achieved by either spending a certain amount of time for work holding setup or alternatively, compensating the runout in software. The latest software update of ToolRoom has an option to apply complete tool runout compensation when needed.

Runout creates uneven chip loads due to uneven contact on the workpiece. The result, as pictured above, is that some flutes get way too much load and wear fast while others get too little. This is not an optimal situation for endmills during machining. Not only do tools with runout have shorter tool life, they tend to be unbalanced and more prone to breaking. Additionally, they vibrate and cause chatter, increase spindle load and result in a bad surface finish on the workpiece.

On the contrary, even cutting flutes result in longer tool life, better surface finish and accurate finished parts.

Circular runout controls only a particular circular cross section of an endmill, while total runout controls the entire surface of the endmill which includes the outer diameter and endface. There are two kinds of runout: Radial and Axial. Radial runout is when the axis of rotation is off-center from the main axis, but still parallel. Axial runout is when the axis of rotation is tilted to some degree from the main axis, meaning the axis of rotation is no longer parallel to the main axis.

On an ANCA tool and cutter grinder, runout is measured by rotating the blank around the A-axis (headstock) and using the Renishaw touch probe. The latest update in ToolRoom RN34.1 release contains the total tool runout measurement and compensation operation in iGrind as an option. This is an addition to the existing axial runout compensation.

The runout measurement and compensation can be performed on a blank or a pre-formed blank. A pre-formed blank is a tool that has flutes ground, for example tools requiring re-sharpening. Endface compensation is used for axial runout by digitizing a single point close to the end of the tool. Only the endface operations are supported for this type of compensation.

Total runout or full compensation will measure and compensate radial and axial runout. This is mainly used while manufacturing and two points are digitized. One is near the end of the tool and the other at shank end. With the digitizing results, users are able to convert the grinding to the centerline of the blank rather than the centerline of the A-axis.                                                   

When an endmill is in rotation it is important that each tooth cuts at the exact same spot along the workpiece for longer tool life and efficient cutting. Every tool in the batch can be measured and compensated for runout to ensure the entire batch is within tolerances.

Runout in drills and reamers will result in oversized holes. This can be avoided by using the runout compensation. The chart below shows the compensation test results.

It is important to note that accuracy starts with the quality of blank. Contrary to popular belief, carbide blanks can be out of round bent or tapered. Ensure that the blanks are checked for size and accuracy, cleaned, and chamfered at insertion end. Blanks should be within 0.001mm (0.00004”) in straightness and 0.0005mm (0.00002”) in roundness to achieve the above accuracy.

Manufacturing challenges due to runout is a persistent pain point for many precision tool manufacturers. This new feature addresses this problem and will give users the assurance they need to manufacture high quality tools - ensuring that the hundredth endmill produced will be equally as good as the first.

The new complete tool runout measurement and compensation operation is now available as an option in the latest ToolRoom update for RN34.1 release. Customers will benefit from increase in productivity due to the reduced collet and collet adaptor setup time, and reduced scrap from zero rejections due to runout.

LINK Product Development and The Quick Company announce launch of new medical device – designed & developed in Denver.

LINK Product Development (LINK) and The Quick Company announce the launch of Microtray Universal, a new-to-market dental assistance tool designed and developed in Denver.

The Microtray line was developed by LINK in collaboration with Dr. Jack Nguyen, founder of The Quick Company and a Denver-based dentist. The tool is a small, molded plastic tray that adheres to surgical gloves allowing dentists and dental assistants quick access to commonly used materials and disposables during various dental procedures. It is the first product of its kind developed for the dental field.

“We are very excited to help bring the Microtray product to market after a thoughtful design and prototyping process that was based on problem solving, observation and the first-hand experience of Dr. Jack Nguyen,” says Marc Hanchak, founder, LINK Product Development. “Our team visited Dr. Jack’s dental office to experience and observe the problem in person. Filming and studying the activities performed gave us detailed insight into the parameters for the product. We took ergonomics, safety, and ease of use into consideration throughout the design process. The end result is an innovative solution for storage and workflow during a wide array dental procedures that will truly enhance the profession.”

Microtray is being manufactured in the U.S. using rapid tooling injection molding and assembled in Denver.

“Prior to my career as a dentist, my background is in research, which gave me the skills to identify what I saw as a challenge in my profession and to think through a solution,” says Dr. Jack Nguyen, MS, DDS, founder of The Quick Company. “I partnered with LINK to collaborate on the project, ask questions, help refine the initial concept, and deliver the final product to market. This concept is a true collaboration and an exciting advancement in the medical field.”

Highlights from the show included the premiere of the NZ platform for production turning and more details on of PAYZR by DMG MORI, the company’s Netflix of machine building.

EMO MILANO 2021 featured about 700 exhibits, representing 34 countries with foreign exhibitors accounting for about 60% of the total attendees.

DMG MORI’s exhibit for the European market focused on automation, equipment-as-as-service, and the premiere of their NZ platform of machines.

The NZ platform includes the DUE, TRE, QUATTRO for production turning with up to 4 turrets and 4 B-axes. Available in two sizes, the short version is designed for workpieces up to 690mm in length, while on the long version extends to 1,290mm. Chuck machining is possible up to a diameter of 120mm, and for bar machining it’s 65mm. The NZ series is extremely compact – including the 3m length bar feeder, the NZ requires only 17.8m² of floor space.

Some highlights of the NZ platform are the individual equipment options, so every user can install a manufacturing solution tailored to their precise requirements. Because of the modular machine, the NZ platform includes the NZ DUE, NZ TRE and NZ QUATTRO, which means that 2-, 3-, or 4-turret machining stations can be placed in the workspace. Each of these units can act autonomously and has a Y-axis with 80mm travel and a B-axis with a swivel range of -10° to +100°.

Promoted as the Netflix of machine building, DMG MORI's PAYZR business model for equipment-as-a-service launched earlier this year with the compact M1 vertical machining center. For a monthly basic fee, customers receive the machine and an all-round carefree package for service and maintenance, for example. In addition, in a pay-per-use model, the fee is calculated based only on the machine’s actual usage – exactly according to spindle minutes. A second machine has now been added to the PAYZR portfolio was the CLX 450 TC introduced this year. With the B-axis factor and equipped with a compactMASTER turn & mill spindle, the turn & mill complete machining center reduces setup and non-productive times in variant-rich production of small to medium batch sizes.

This biennial event offers current & prospective end-users of grinding and laser cutting equipment the opportunity to see a range of new technology.

Rollomatic and Strausak will be presenting their biennial Open House this November in Mundelein, Illinois, November 9-11, 2021, where typically more than 130 end‐users from more than 25 US states, Mexico, and Canada experience the latest in Rollomatic Group technology, attend learning sessions, and get key answers for their precision production needs.

This biennial event offers current & prospective end‐users of grinding and laser cutting equipment the opportunity to see the entire line of Rollomatic Group products as well as new technology with:

Click here for more details and to register for the event.