Solvay, a supplier of advanced materials and specialty chemicals, announced a pair of advances that it hopes will help it expand its healthcare business.

Speaking yesterday at Solvay’s booth (#2414) at MD&M West, the company’s healthcare sales development manager Rose Catherin said the new materials will help improve the performance of specialty surgical devices including electrosurgery tools and robot surgical systems.

The first advance came in a partnership with Surgical Coatings, a medical device coatings company. Surgical Coatings will use Solvay’s KetaSpire PEEK powder to coat metal tubes used in electrosurgery.

Jonathan Thorne, chairman of Surgical Coatings, said Solvay’s line of KetaSpire PEEK coatings will allow devices to handle more energy during treatment. The PEEK coating also meets stringent biocompatibility standards and can better withstand repeated cleaning and sterilization. “In electrosurgical applications coatings are mission-critical,” he said.

Solvay also rolled out its Xencor LTF compounds. The company says the long glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (LTF) can replace metal and traditional short fiber thermoplastics in large machinery including surgical robots.

The company also announced the results of a compatibility study of Solvay’s polymers with its healthcare disinfectants. According to the company, 93% of Solvay polymers showed high retention of tensile strength and 100% retained its impact properties, indicating resistance to environmental stress cracking.

Solvay sells to automotive, oil and gas, and construction. Medical device-related sales account for 13% of its bottom line.