Igus (Cologne, Germany) today announced a new tribo-plastic material for clip and flanged bearings. The wear-resistant material, dubbed iglidur K230, is highly elastic, chemical resistant and withstands moisture, according to Igus. Clip and flanged bearings are commonly used in the sheet metal industry because of their ease of installation and design, especially in sheet metal feedthroughs. The bearing
How SABIC helped develop a non-drug migraine treatment
May 22, 2018 By Leave a Comment
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
Diversified Plastics expands sales engineer and technical support team
May 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Diversified Plastics (Minneapolis) recently announced that it has added three new sales engineer and technical support members to its team. Raymond Schenk has joined Diversified Plastics as senior sales engineer. He has over 24 years of experience in the plastic industries and will be responsible for the western territories of the company. Prior to joining the
Thermoformers Tru-Form Plastics and InterTrade ink merger deal
May 3, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Thermoforming groups Tru-Form Plastics and InterTrade Industries plan to merge, looking to operate under the new moniker of Tru-Form Plastics, an InterTrade Industries Co. Gardena, Calif.–based Tru-Form Plastics said late last month that the combination will help support both businesses by adding additional customer service, sales team and engineering members, as well as 14 additional
MedAccred adds plastic extrusion to audit criteria
April 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment
MedAccred recently announced that it has added plastics extrusion to its list of audit opportunities. Companies that want accreditation from MedAccred can now audit plastics extrusion in addition to cable and harness, heat treating, plastics injection molding, printed circuit board assembly, sterilization and welding. The audit criteria is developed from leaders in the medical device
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
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
Spectrum Plastics Group buys Apex Resource Technologies
February 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Spectrum Plastics Group (Alpharetta, Ga.) is expanding its specialty products and design engineering offerings through its acquisition of Apex Resource Technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in today’s announcement. Apex has more than 60 people at its 45,000-square-foot facility in Pittsfield, Mass., and is a full-service design engineering, tooling and injection molding operation.
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
Spectralytics launches DFM product development facility for laser services
February 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
In the new medtech manufacturing environment, design engineers need parts faster, with fewer iterations and quicker turnaround. Spectralytics aims to meet those needs with its revamped development center in Maple Plain, Minn. The laser cutting and processing contract manufacturer has a newly expanded facility dedicated to design and prototyping. The 15,000 sq. ft. facility is located
How laser marking could solve the medical device industry’s UDI challenges
January 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Here are five ways that laser marking could provide advantages to medical device companies when it comes to meeting permanent marking requirements under FDA’s Unique Device Identification program. Ashir Thakore, SABIC As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implements its phased Unique Device Identification (UDI) program across medical device classes, OEMs are considering methods
Donald C. Graham elected to Plastics Hall of Fame
January 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Donald C. Graham, the founder of Graham Engineering (York, Penn.) and The Graham Group, was recently elected to the Plastics Hall of Fame and will be inducted during a ceremony at NPE2018 in May in Orlando, Florida. Graham received his bachelor degree in mechanical engineering and his masters degree in industrial engineering and business management
GI Plastek, Precision Southeast, Plastics Solutions merge to form PSI Molded Plastics
December 11, 2017 By Leave a Comment
GI Plastek, Precision Southeast and Plastics Solutions have merged to form PSI Molded Plastics. The three companies are owned by Gladstone Investment. The merger allows for PSI Molded Plastics to provide its customers injection molded component requirements in one place, including large to small parts from low to high volumes. The company will also provide
