{"id":35684,"date":"2025-03-11T00:56:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T08:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/?p=35684"},"modified":"2025-03-11T23:40:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T07:40:37","slug":"what-makes-medical-devices-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/what-makes-medical-devices-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes Medical Devices Expensive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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All electronic devices contain a bunch of connected wires and circuit boards. But have you ever wondered why medical devices are costlier than regular electronics? There is the aspect of providing specialized functions, such as X-ray imaging or regulating heart rates (pacemakers), but that is not it. The answer is that they provide life-critical functions, which means the circuitry must be as reliable as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it all boils down to the PCBs that run these devices, which are expensive to manufacture and assemble. Devices like ventilators and CT scanners can have tens to hundreds of these circuit boards, which adds up cost-wise. Therefore, the most appropriate question to ask is, why are medical PCBs expensive? Here\u2019s why.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Are Medical PCBs Expensive?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Medical device circuit boards are costlier than ordinary PCBs because they differ in these areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Design<\/span><\/h3>\n

Medical PCBs<\/span><\/a> must be highly stable, precise, and miniaturized in some cases. As such, the design process must pay more attention to signal integrity, wiring accuracy, and electromagnetic compatibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: OurPCB\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Signal Integrity<\/span><\/h4>\n

Signal distortion or attenuation can lead to malfunctioning, which can be the difference between life and death. So factors like crosstalk and transmission line effects must be eliminated during design.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wiring Accuracy<\/span><\/h4>\n

Wiring accuracy goes hand-in-hand with signal integrity. Since medical circuit boards have multiple traces jam-packed in a small area, signal interference, crosstalk, and other wiring issues may arise. Therefore, the design process must look at the wiring requirements for different signals, such as analog, differential, and digital.<\/span><\/p>\n

Electromagnetic Compatibility<\/span><\/h4>\n

Careful planning of the board\u2019s signal, power, and ground wires must be considered during design to ensure compatibility by reducing electromagnetic radiation and interference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Materials<\/span><\/h3>\n

With materials, you have to look at the substrate, copper thickness, and solder mask.<\/span><\/p>\n

Substrate<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ordinary PCBs use FR4 substrates, but their medical counterparts need high-performance materials, such as PTFE, Rogers, Teflon, and ceramic, to provide properties like:<\/span><\/p>\n