# S4E27 Ian McEachern | R&D Engineering Series – Interview 5 of 6

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2023-07-21
- Length: 48m
- Episode: 27
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/ian-mceachern-rd-engineering-series/

## Summary

Ian McEachern, an R&D engineer with over 15 years of experience designing complex medical devices like artificial hearts and blood pumps, discusses the unique nature of R&D engineering. He contrasts R&D with sustaining engineering, highlighting challenges such as navigating conflicting regulatory standards and sourcing specialized components from suppliers like Chamfer. McEachern advocates for leveraging modern digital manufacturing platforms like Xometry and Protolabs to accelerate hardware iteration cycles from months to weeks. He emphasizes that R&D is fundamentally built on failure, using the HeartMate blood pump's initial clotting issues as a key example of incremental improvement through rigorous testing and iteration.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=0) Introduction: Ian McEachern and the R&D Engineer Role
- [2:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=165) Challenges: Regulatory Standards and Specialized Components
- [6:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=402) R&D Methodology: World Building and Coloring Outside the Lines
- [11:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=664) Accelerating Hardware Iteration with Digital Manufacturing
- [15:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=909) Case Study: HeartMate Blood Pump and Failure Analysis
- [23:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=1430) Personal Motivation: Grandfather's Legacy and Service
- [31:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=1889) Teaching R&D: Distinguishing Physics from Human Rules
- [34:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=2086) Culture and Toxicity in Engineering Teams
- [40:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=2436) Key Mindset: Tenacity and Iteration
- [42:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-07-21-s4e27-ian-mceachern-r-d-engineering-series-interview-5-of-6#t=2557) Future Goals: Mentorship and Community Guidance

## Topics

- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Chamfer (company)
- Xometry (company)
- Protolabs (company)
- Thoratec (company)
- Medtronic (company)
- Aerojet (company)
- HeartMate 2 (product)
- HeartMate 3 (product)
- SolidWorks (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [IDology #7 - Tips on outsourcing R&D and product design work](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/idology/2023-01-31-idology-7-tips-on-outsourcing-r-d-and-product-design-work) (IDology)
- [305: Humans Have a Terrible Spec Sheet (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-04-28-305-humans-have-a-terrible-spec-sheet-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [3: Plenty of Candy, No Guns](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-05-29-3-plenty-of-candy-no-guns) (Embedded.fm)
- [#470: The Real Cost of MedTech Innovation: From Idea to Pre-Production with Lisa Voronkova](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2026-09-22-470-the-real-cost-of-medtech-innovation-from-idea-to-pre-production-with-lisa-vo) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [What defines an engineer? - Job Judging Jeremiad](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-11-06-what-defines-an-engineer-job-judging-jeremiad) (The Amp Hour)

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