MedTech Unboxed: Presented by Chamfr
MedTech Unboxed is Chamfr’s 20–40 minute podcast built specifically for MedTech R&D teams. Each episode brings together startup founders, visionary engineers, suppliers, and investors to unpack what’s next in materials, methods, and device technology.
By connecting design decisions to funding realities and manufacturability, the show offers a cross-functional view of how great medical devices actually make it to market, giving engineers and innovators practical insight they can apply beyond the lab.
All Episodes
EndoShunt: A 7 Fr Shunt for Abdominal Hemorrhage
When a patient is bleeding in the abdomen, surgeons often face a bad tradeoff: control the hemorrhage by shutting off blood flow, or keep circulation going while they race to find and repair the injury. In this episode of MedTech Unboxed, Tyler Zanon, CEO of EndoShunt Medical, walks through a catheter-based shunt designed to control abdominal bleeding while maintaining distal flow. The team took the system from a 14 Fr concept to a low-profile 7 Fr device meant to fit existing trauma workflows. Tyler also covers preclinical testing, why they moved final device assembly to Resonetics, and the funding and teamwork required to push toward 510(k) and a clinical pilot.Drug-Coated Balloons & Stents: What Drives Performance?
There are several critical factors to performance in drug-coated balloons: how effectively the drug reaches the vessel wall, how long it stays there, and when additional vessel support is needed. In this episode of MedTech Unboxed, Steve talks with Maciej Kusmierczuk, Head of Development Balloon Catheters and Stents at InnoRa GmbH, about the science and engineering behind drug-coated balloons, stents, and emerging scaffold technologies. They explore InnoRa’s work with paclitaxel and sirolimus coatings, including a high-performance, double-dose drug-coated balloon designed to deliver more drug to the vessel wall and help it remain there longer in complex cases. Maciej unpacks why drug dose is only one part of performance. Coating technology, balloon design, material, inflation pressure, and how effectively the drug transfers to the vessel wall can all influence the final result. He also shares the important role of stents when balloon treatment can’t provide enough mechanical support alone. See how drug-coated balloons, stents, and emerging scaffold technologies can work together to address different vascular treatment needs.Beyond 3D Printing: Scaling Additive Manufacturing in MedTech
The hardest part of additive manufacturing often happens before and after the print. In this episode of MedTech Unboxed, Steve and Nicolas Bouduban, CEO of Swiss m4m Center, unpack what it takes to move an early prototype to scalable MedTech production. They explore why design for additive manufacturing, material selection, validation, post-processing, and finishing all need to be considered early on in development. Nicolas shares where additive manufacturing can create the most value, from faster design iteration and complex geometries to part consolidation. He also walks through Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion, applications using titanium, stainless steel, and cobalt chrome, and the emerging opportunities and challenges around Nitinol. The conversation also goes beyond 3D printing itself, diving into CNC machining, heat treatment, polishing, cleaning, surface requirements, and the other post-processing steps needed to turn a printed component into a finished medical device. Nicolas also shares how Switzerland’s watchmaking heritage has shaped Swiss m4m Center’s precision mindset, and how that experience carries over to producing small, complex medical device parts. Get a practical look at how you can use additive manufacturing to iterate faster, unlock new design possibilities, and scale faster.PTFE & Emerging Lubricious Polymer Platforms for Catheter Development
PTFE has earned its place as the gold standard for catheter liners, but the lowest coefficient of friction is no longer the only factor R&D teams need to consider. In this episode of MedTech Unboxed, Steve talks with Benny Cheung, Technical Lead at Dynaflex Technologies Inc., about PTFE and emerging lubricious polymer platforms for catheter-based medical devices. They explore where PTFE still excels, particularly in ultra-thin-wall and demanding catheter applications, and how evolving device requirements are expanding material options for engineers. The conversation builds on Dynaflex’s recent white paper, “PTFE: Proven Performance, Rising Constraints in Catheter-Based Medical Devices,” taking a deeper look at the latest considerations affecting catheter liner selection. Benny dives into how liner selection can affect bonding, delamination, distal flexibility, torque response, manufacturability, and the overall catheter design. He also discusses how emerging thermoplastic liner technologies, including EverGlide+, a PFAS-free platform, can give engineers additional flexibility around durometer, material interfaces, laser-cut hypotube designs, and sterilization strategy.