Mechanical engineering in the medical field (explained)

If you ask if a mechanical engineer can work in the medical field, yes. He can work in this field.

In this post, we will discover the most famous occupation that mechanical engineers can take in medicine.

Can a medical engineer work in the medical field?

The medical industry is full of opportunities for mechanical engineers, meaning mechanical engineers can take a lot of occupations in this industry by building and designing Medical devices that we use daily in hospitals or Rehabilitation Centers.

 There are a lot of Specialties that mechanical engineers take in this field. for instance, mechanical engineers can design machines like:

• Ultrasound scanners.
• Scalpels.
• Patient monitors.
• Defibrillators.
• Surgical tables.
• Wheelchairs and hospital beds.
• hand tools like scissors and distractors

So medical field requires mechanical engineers who have good talent and experience to design sensitive devices that take care of people.  

So for this reason we find a lot of medical companies requiring or demanding mechanical engineers to work for them.

 is this post we’re going to discover the 10 famous Medical industries that mechanical engineers work on.

7 jobs that mechanical engineers can work in the medical field

1 – Surgical instruments

The first two specialties that you can take as a mechanical engineer is to design the basic surgical instruments that doctors use in their operations, like forceps and scissors.

In this case, you need to have good skills in design, especially in CAD and Solidwork also have a good knowledge and experience around the type of materials medical tools are made from.

 The principal and the most commonly used materials are inoxidizable metals such as inox and titanium. So you have to be aware of the physical characteristics of these materials to make appropriate designs of tools that can last for several years. 

The process of design and testing of these materials goes under strict and hard rules and safety rules before being approved and allowed in the market. 

So you have to be patient because many designs won’t be approved, and you will need to make a lot of checks before releasing your final work.

2 – Rehabilitation devices

The second famous industry that mechanical engineers work in is paramedical devices. These devices are findable in all Rehabilitation centers. Also, some people use them in their homes, who have chronic diseases.

 the part of medical devices are numerous. For instance:

• hard monitors
• pressure monitors
• glucometer

In addition, you will design the other Rehabilitation or physical machines that help people who have accidents or have some Mobility problems like legs, necks, or any limbs Rehabilitation device. 

Your principal goal, in this case, will not be programming or making an Electronics board for this machine. You will also take care of the mechanical movements that a machine would produce.

 In other words, you will make sure if the machine does the demanded job or task allowed inappropriate way. In this phase, you will need to be skilled and have good experience in kinematics.

3 – Prosthetics

Working in Prosthetics and mechanical engineering projects is a noble job. If you are interested in this field, you will be designing prosthetic arms or legs for people who have disabilities. And otherwise, people who have accidents or someones who had circumstances that made them lose their limbs.

 This domain is related a lot to robotics. In other words, you will  Design industrial arms and Legs that people can hold in their bodies.

And even more, you can design some small devices or objects that are inside the body of humans. For instance, devices connected to the heart protect a patient from heart failure.

In the prosthetic Industry, 3 engineering disciplines work together to make or build the arm or leg that a patient will use. So as a mechanical engineer, you will be working with electrical engineers and programmers.

4 – Organ design

There is a new industry that, as a mechanical engineer, you can work on, which is organ design.  Thankfully to do 3D printing technology, we can use today these machines to print organs like sales livers, cells, and hearts.

 This technology is still in its beginning, but it is picking some serious steps toward commercialization.

  For instance, we’ve seen a lot of printed organs today in the market that has the same characteristic as the biological and original ones.

 As a mechanical engineer, your occupation, in this case, is to design these organs by studying and me mimicking the original dynamic process. In other words, study the therapeutic process of how the organs work and try to incorporate it into the newly printed organ.

For instance, understanding how a heart works as a pump. Then design a similar system that pumps blood to a body. So in this occupation or profession, you would be focusing a lot on fluid dynamics.

5 – Researcher

You can also work as a mechanical engineer, specifically in the research Department of  Medical engineering devices.  In other words, you  can work  as a researcher with different organizations and companies such as:

•  Universities
•  institutions
•  companies

 The main role of a mechanical engineer researcher is to develop and test new ideas for medical products.  To clarify, medical devices that you can find today in the market have gone through many years of research and tests.

 So your profession will be to be a part of this team researcher in the mechanical engineering specialty.

6 – mechanical engineer in dentistry

The other profession that mechanical engineers work for is the dental industry. So as a mechanical engineer, your specialty will be to design industrial materials for dentists like:

• Dental drill
• Spoon excavator
• Burnisher
• Scaler

But the good news is a new industry has engaged in the Dental field, which is 3D printing. So we find many mechanical engineers today design these specific 3D printers that produce or replicate teeth for their patients.

7 – mechanical engineers in thermal medical devices

The last Profession that we’re going to talk about is being a mechanical engineer of thermal Medical devices. For instance, working on projects like medical beds massage devices that produce heat.

  Thermal medical devices are designed to enhance blood circulation and also overcome fatigue. As a mechanical engineer, your job will not also be to take responsibility for moving parts. But also to design the best thermal conductive product.

In other words, you will need to use all the thermal knowledge and principles you studied in college.