Growing a Single Microcatheter into a Full Product Family Through Speed, Quality, and Trust
The Project
A neurovascular device company was developing a microcatheter to access the neurovasculature and deliver its stent-based therapies. The company needed a partner to take the catheter from early development through commercialization, building prototype samples, design verification and validation (V&V) units, and process validation lots. After another supplier was unable to build acceptable prototypes, the company turned to Forj Medical to build their 3 Fr catheter.
The Challenge
The program required fast iteration so the client could test various prototypes and see what worked best. With a conventional supplier, each prototype request can take up to a week to quote and another four to six weeks to reach the line, and materials such as extrusions and liners have costly minimum order requirements even when only a few pieces are needed. Unsure whether Forj Medical had the capacity and resources to support its family of catheters, the customer planned to limit the engagement to the 3 Fr size.
The Solution
Forj Medical worked hand in hand with the client’s engineers on process development and turned prototypes around quickly. The key was a materials inventory built up over 10 years: liners, shrink tubing, nylons, and extrusions spanning 1.9 to 18 Fr. When the client asked for a specific ID or OD, the team could assemble a prototype from stock instead of ordering and waiting for custom materials. Drawing on deep experience with requirements from design through commercialization, Forj Medical built all of the product for the client’s V&V and process validations. That speed and quality earned the client’s trust, and they asked Forj Medical to develop additional sizes (Fig. 1). The client was able to centralize their entire product family with Forj Medical, minimizing vendors, streamlining workflows and communication, and enhancing speed to market.
