SABIC recently helped eNeura develop a clinically proven, non-drug option for preventing and treating migraine headaches. The sTMS mini from eNeura is a portable delivery system for single-pulse, transcranial magnetic stimulation. It’s prescribed by a physician. FDA cleared the sTMS mini for migraine prevention in 2017. SABIC’s polycarbonate copolymer Lexan was chosen as the housing of
Turns out graphene can fight bacteria on implants
April 18, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Graphene flakes that are arranged like spikes can kill bacteria and stop infections during implant surgery procedures, according to new research from Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden. Bacteria moves around the body in fluids like blood looking for an area to stick to. Once they find a place, the bacteria starts to grow
10 BIOMEDevice Boston exhibitors you need to know
April 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Updated April 20, 2018 BIOMEDevice Boston provides an opportunity for more than 4,000 engineers and executives and 400 suppliers in New England’s design and manufacturing industry to connect and network. The annual event was held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, April 18-19. Hundreds of medical device industry suppliers showcased their latest technologies and capabilities.
This technology allows package sterilization of silicones with in-situ curing
March 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
New methods of sterilization have made customizable implantable silicones a possibility. This exciting technology advance could allow better sealing, occlusion and repair or support within a patient’s body. Avantor has developed packaging to sterilize the silicone so that the material can be cured in-situ. Julie Cameron, VP of business development and marketing for the Nusil
IME Technologies relocates R&D and production facility
March 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
IME Technologies has relocated its R&D and production facility in the Dutch town of Geldrop to a larger facility in Waalre, near Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The new building will allow the IME Technologies to make its electro spinning machines autonomously as well as the actual extracellular matrices or scaffolds that are needed for medical
4 ways medical device industry suppliers can save their clients money
March 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Count Spectrum Plastics Group (Alpharetta, Ga.) among the medical device industry suppliers adding capabilities and expertise in order to add value to what they provide their customers. Long gone are the days when medtech contract manufacturers simply made orders to spec. As four recent case studies out of Spectrum highlight, it’s all about branching out
Polyplastics rolling Topas Advanced Polymers into Polyplastics USA
March 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Engineering thermoplastics supplier Polyplastics said today that it will merge its affiliate Topas Advanced Polymers (Florence, Ky.) into Polyplastics USA, effective April 1. The merger will add Topas‘s cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) resins to Polyplastics USA’s existing portfolio of POM (acetal), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) engineering polymers. The combined business have its headquerters
Elastocon TPE Technologies launches new medical-grade thermoplastic elastomers
March 22, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Elastocon TPE Technologies is launching its latest medical-grade compounds at the National Plastics Exposition in Orlando, May 7–11, the company recently announced. The new medical grades, Elastocon 8028N and 8068N, can be injection molded, extruded or overmolded. The features include high flow properties that allow for complex part design, flexibility, odorless, cold weather stability, UV
Designing wearables: How to make sense of your material options
March 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The medical device industry’s knowledge base continually evolves regarding what works — and what doesn’t — for wearable applications. Gain insight into some material selection considerations for skin-worn wearable design and development. Deepak Prakash, Vancive Medical Technologies In the dynamic wearables sector, medical device makers are searching for ways to translate their expertise into mobile,
Covestro releases new polycarbonate with resistance to solvents, cleaning agents
March 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Covestro has released Makrolon Rx3440, a material designed to withstand solvents found in oncology treatments — as well as cleaning agents. The medical polycarbonate offers durability and chemical resistance to help prevent cracking so that healthcare professionals can more safely deliver oncology drugs to patients. Cancer treatments are hard on plastics, noted Lauren Zetts, North America
Why PEEK is so hard to extrude
February 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment
PEEK — a popular material for catheters and minimally invasive tubing — can trip up novices when it comes to extrusion. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is known throughout the medical device industry for its toughness, strength and high heat thermal characteristics. It’s often used to replace metal components in medical devices; because it’s a thermoplastic it can be injection-molded
MD&M West: 10 technologies you should know
February 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
MD&M West is one of the largest medical device manufacturing events in the world, so it’s easy to get lost on the show floor. Even if you were in Anaheim, Calif., for the event last week, you may have missed a lot. From a new robotics insights display from Rethink Robotics to a disinfectant-resistant plastic
Could this Eastman polymer improve medical device housing durability?
February 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Specialty plastics provider Eastman used the recent MD&M West to tout the ability of its MXF221 copolyester to hold up to repeated application of hospital disinfectants. Eastman officials think MXF221 could be a new option for medical device manufacturers – especially because a cracked housing could endanger the electronics inside expensive equipment including ultrasound and
Dow touts versatility in latest LSR grades for overmolding
February 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dow Medical Solutions, a business unit of the DowDuPont Specialty Products Division has introduced two new liquid silicone rubber (LSR) technologies to support a broader range of rigid plastic substrates for overmolding applications. These new elastomeric products give designers and manufacturers greater options for creating differentiated devices with improved safety and durability. The two grades include
Secant Group officials think they’ve cracked vascular regeneration: Here’s how
January 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Secant Group today announced what it described as game-changing technology to advance vascular regeneration, solving problems that surgeons presently have when it comes to vascular harvesting and the non-resorbable synthetic graft compliance mismatching. The technology, which Secant (Telford, Pa.) developed in partnership with its sister company SanaVita Medical, involves a synthetic small bore vessel with a hollow
