# S5E24 Dion Lopes | Manufacturing processes & Implementing New Technologies

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2024-06-14
- Length: 42m
- Episode: 24
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies

## Summary

Dion Lopes, an engineering leader with experience at companies including Imperative Care, Intersect ENT (now part of Medtronic), PneumRx, and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, discusses the transition from manual to semi-automated manufacturing processes in medical devices. He details the challenges of qualifying pneumatic welding for nitinol wire, specifically addressing operator variability and the need for consistent ball formation. Lopes also shares strategies for navigating complex FDA regulatory submissions, emphasizing the importance of assembling subject matter experts and leveraging team knowledge rather than working in isolation. Finally, he outlines principles for mentoring engineers, focusing on creating safe-to-fail environments and making decisive, risk-based decisions to avoid analysis paralysis.

## Chapters

- [0:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=14) Introduction: Dion Lopes and Career Background
- [2:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=164) Pneumatic Welding and Nitinol Process Qualification
- [7:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=457) Transitioning from Manual Art to Scientific Process
- [14:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=852) Navigating a Tough FDA Regulatory Hurdle
- [18:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=1133) Principles of Mentorship and Safe Failure
- [22:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=1373) Evaluating and Implementing New Technologies
- [27:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=1638) Required Skills for Modern Manufacturing Engineers
- [32:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=1944) Overcoming Technical Hurdles with Contract Manufacturers
- [36:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-06-14-s5e24-dion-lopes-manufacturing-processes-implementing-new-technologies#t=2192) Accelerating Engineering Speed and Avoiding Analysis Paralysis

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Imperative Care (company)
- Intersect ENT (company)
- Medtronic (company)
- PneumRx (company)
- Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (company)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- nitinol (material)
- FDA (other)
- BSI (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#461: Why Manufacturing is Part of Product Development with Mike Dolphin](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2026-06-22-461-why-manufacturing-is-part-of-product-development-with-mike-dolphin) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [Ep. 10 - Automation Equipment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2023-12-07-ep-10-automation-equipment) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [Quality Management in a Changing Manufacturing Environment w/ Naveen Poonian](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2024-08-27-quality-management-in-a-changing-manufacturing-environment-w-naveen-poonian) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [When Production Overtakes Prototyping: Materialise’s Next Phase of AM](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-10-13-when-production-overtakes-prototyping-materialises-next-phase-of-am) (Additive Snack)
- [305: Humans Have a Terrible Spec Sheet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-10-03-305-humans-have-a-terrible-spec-sheet) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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