Medical - News

Mar 19, 2010 - Fraunhofer's Researchers Develop Bone-hard Biomaterial

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) in Bremen want to spare cruciate ligament victims and other bone patients this additional procedure. They have therefore developed a screw which is biocompatible and also biodegradable over time.
Mar 16, 2010 - Carbon Fiber Reinforced PEEK-OPTIMA® Compound Provides Clear, Scatter-Free, MRI-Compatible Imaging

Cleared by the FDA, the QUANTUM™ Humeral Composite Nailing System from N.M.B. Medical Applications Ltd. is an innovative intramedullary interlocking nail made of ENDOLIGN® (from Invibio® Biomaterial Solutions), which is an inherently pure and inert composite of continuous carbon fibers in a PEEK-OPTIMA® polymer matrix.
Mar 15, 2010 - Novel Syringe Demonstrates Cost Benefits of Sustainable Product Design

Cambridge Consultants announced its novel pre-filled syringe concept 'Syreen'. A revolutionary 'green' syringe design, Syreen is a highly effective, safe, and easy-to-use drug delivery device for self administration use, designed to ease the resource intensity and material wastage associated with traditional syringe development and manufacture.
Mar 12, 2010 - Joint Research by IBM and Stanford University could Lead to New Types of Environmentally Sustainable Plastics

In a paper published in the American Chemical Society journal, Macromolecules, scientists from IBM and Stanford University detail discoveries that could lead to the development of new types of biodegradable, biocompatible plastics. The breakthrough also could lead to a new recycling process for common PET and plant-based plastics in the future.
Mar 11, 2010 - Special Nylon 6/6 from Clariant Meets Hearing-Aid Parts Supplier's Demands for Color & Performance

Knowles Electronics, a leading manufacturer of miniature audio components for hearing-aid manufacturers around the world, chose Accumold LLC to manufacture the tiny parts using Clariant Masterbatches' nylon 6/6, filled with three different levels of glass fiber: 50%, 35% and 30%.
Mar 09, 2010 - Freedom™ Driver Designed to Power SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart uses Bayer Materials

A compact, lightweight lithium-polymer onboard battery pack designed and assembled by Lux Aviation using Bayer MaterialScience's Makroblend® EL703 polycarbonate/polyethylene terephthalate polyester (PC/PET) blend is the driving force behind the small pneumatic driver intended to power the Total Artificial Heart.
Mar 02, 2010 - A New Way Forward for Nanocomposite Nanostructures

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory and the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign recently reported a new technique for directly writing composites of nanoparticles and polymers. Recent years have seen significant advances in the properties achieved by both these materials, and so researchers have begun to blend these materials into nanocomposites.
Mar 02, 2010 - New Medical Elastomers for Tubing Perform like PVC and Provide Superior Gamma Stability

A series of advanced medical-grade elastomers provide the first fully practical alternative to PVC for many tubing applications was introduced by Teknor Apex Company. New Medalist® MD-500 Series compounds exhibit crystal clarity and mechanical properties comparable to those of PVC and are substantially more flexible and significantly less dense.
Mar 01, 2010 - 3D Systems Teams Up With 3Shape to Develop Software Solution on its ProJet™ DP 3000 Dental Production Systems

3D Systems Corporation, a leading provider of 3-D Printing, Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing parts and system solutions, announced the availability of an integrated 3Shape software solution on its ProJet™ DP 3000 dental production systems. Both have worked closely to develop, test and document the process required to design and print production dental components.
Feb 24, 2010 - SABIC's New Anti-Static Stat-Loy™ Compounds Breathe Life into Inhalation Devices

Patients and medical device OEMs can now breathe easier thanks to SABIC Innovative Plastics' new breakthrough anti-static compounds for inhalation devices. The new transparent materials provide permanent anti-static properties, eliminating the need for expensive secondary operations, and help ensure repeatability of dosing through more-efficient aerosol and powder dispensing.
Feb 23, 2010 - Clear, Gamma-Stable Rigid PVC Medical Molding Compound Provides Lower-Cost Alternative to Standard Engineering Resins

Teknor Apex introduced a new gamma-stable rigid PVC injection molding compound that provides the clarity and toughness required for tubing connectors, luer locks, valves, drip chambers, instrument handles, and similar medical components. Apex® RM 8001R-NT is a low-odor compound that retains initial clarity or color upon exposure to gamma irradiation.
Feb 17, 2010 - Medical-grade Eastman Tritan™ Copolyester Offers Durability and Sterilization Solutions for Rigid Medical Packaging

Eastman Tritan™ copolyester MP100, launched at the recently concluded Medical Design & Manufacturing West trade show, is an enhanced-performance polymer for rigid medical packaging, maintains all the same properties that have made Eastar™ copolyester 6763 the industry standard for rigid medical packaging, including chemical resistance, clarity and toughness.
Feb 16, 2010 - SABIC presented the SABIC® PCG Healthcare Portfolio at Pharmapack 2010

Today's healthcare industry is increasingly moving towards home based monitoring and treatment. Responding to this shift, SABIC® PCG, consisting of a wide range of polyethylene and polypropylene solutions, offers converters tailored healthcare solutions that allow smart packaging without the risk of leakage and a safe disposal of healthcare products.
Feb 15, 2010 - PolyOne's Custom TPEs Help Eldon James Create RoHS-Compliant Medical Tubing and Fittings

PolyOne's GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers, a global leader in high-performance, custom-formulated thermoplastics elastomers, announced that Eldon James Corporation, a leading medical products manufacturer, recently selected GLS clear customized thermoplastic elastomers to create a new line of medical tubing and fittings.
Feb 12, 2010 - Spartech Produces Spectar Copolyester Sheet for Use in the Orthopedic Market

Spartech Corporation, an innovator in the development of earth-friendly engineered thermoplastic sheet materials and engineered product solutions, is now producing Spectar copolyester from Eastman Chemical Company in sheet sizes of 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch thicknesses for use in the orthopedic medical device market.
Feb 11, 2010 - UltraSafe Passive® Needle Guard (X100L) Utilizes Bayer's Makrolon® Rx1851 Resin

To manufacture its UltraSafe Passive® Needle Guards, Safety Syringes Inc. needed to find a material that was not only robust and transparent, but also offered improved flow, lubricity and easy release characteristics. Bayer met Safety Syringes' requirements with Makrolon® Rx1851 polycarbonate, a low-viscosity resin with enhanced internal mold release technology.
Feb 10, 2010 - To Restore Vision, Implant Preps and Seeds A Damaged Eye

A team of researchers has designed an eye implant in the form of a mesh built through a process called electrospinning, in which biodegradable polymers are drawn out of a needle and into a fine stream, producing interwoven fibers. Embedded in the fibers are pockets containing enzymes which slowly migrate out as the polymer degrades, eating away local scar tissue.
Feb 09, 2010 - Klöckner Pentaplast Introduces the Next Generation of Films for Pharmaceutical Blister Packaging

The Pentapharm® film product line has been extended to include Pentapharm® kpVantage™ polyester films for pharmaceutical blister packaging. These innovative films are designed to be processed on existing equipment maintaining all critical package components without the need to change tooling, lidding, or package design.
Feb 09, 2010 - Researchers from the University of Utah Provide Insight into How 'Random' Lasers Work

When University of Utah scientists discovered a new kind of laser that was generated by an electrically conducting plastic or polymer, no one could explain how it worked. Now, a decade later, they have found that these "random lasers" occur because of natural, mirror-like cavities in the polymers, and they say such lasers may prove useful for diagnosing cancer.
Feb 08, 2010 - VICTREX® PEEK™ Polymer Delivers High Heat Resistance to Improve Performance of New Dental Bite Stick

When Dentronix, a Coltene/Whaledent subsidiary, was designing its new "High Heat" bite stick, it needed a material that could withstand the high temperature requirements of dry-heat sterilizers. It chose VICTREX® PEEK™, a high performance polymer used in many high-end medical applications, because of the material's superior combination of properties.
Feb 03, 2010 - Netstal at the MEDTEC in Stuttgart

At the international trade fair MEDTEC in Stuttgart / Germany the Swiss machinery manufacturer Netstal-Maschinen AG presents its innovative and outstandingly performing ELION injection moulding machine. By demonstrating this all-electric range Netstal underpins once more its competence in the production of high-grade medical mouldings.
Feb 02, 2010 - Energy-harvesting Rubber Sheets could Power Pacemakers, Mobile Phones

Power-generating rubber films developed by Princeton University engineers could harness natural body movements such as breathing and walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices. The material, composed of ceramic nanoribbons embedded onto silicone rubber sheets, generates electricity when flexed.
Feb 02, 2010 - Genesis Plastics Welding to Showcase RF Welding Technology

Genesis will be showcasing its proprietary ecoGenesis™ Plastics Welding Technology at Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West. The technology enables the elimination of polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) in plastic product and component manufacturing, the use of which pose increasing health and cost concerns, particularly within the medical sector.
Feb 01, 2010 - Royal Free Team to Trial Artificial Artery in Patients

An expert team at the Royal Free has received £500,000 to take their invention of an artificial artery from the laboratory to human trials within the next year. The team has developed a small diameter bypass graft made from a polymer material modified by nanotechnology, for use in coronary artery and lower limb arterial surgery.
Jan 29, 2010 - Borealis' Bormed™ LE6609-PH puts High Temperature Sterilisation in the Spotlight at Pharmapack 2010

Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions, will feature Bormed™ LE6609-PH for pharmaceutical packaging for intravenous solutions and medicines at Pharmapack 2010 Stand D26 from February 1-2, 2010 in Paris. This transparent, Blow Fill and Seal (BFS) low density polyethylene offers a high density level and therefore a high melting point.
Jan 26, 2010 - Material Selection in Medical Tubing Applications

Creative design concepts are dependent on materials that enable the delivery of physical properties which extend performance levels beyond previous boundaries, combined with a proven biocompatibility status. Mediprene Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are one group of materials that have consistently been shown capable of the performance-stretch necessary to meet this challenge.
Jan 25, 2010 - Biosensors Receives CE Mark Approval for BioMatrix Flex™

Biosensors has received CE Mark approval for a new version of its BioMatrix™ drug-eluting stent system, the BioMatrix Flex™. It offers the unique combination of an innovative anti-restenotic drug, Biolimus A9™, a biodegradable poly-lactic acid polymer (PLA), and an advanced, highly flexible stent designed for enhanced deliverability.
Jan 22, 2010 - Biomedical Innovations Made Possible with Oxford Performance Material's OXPEKK Compounds

The medical sector has seen a tremendous rise in the use of polymers, which has not just been limited to medical goods, devices, packaging, and hospital furniture but has also extended into the field of implants. A number of biomedical innovations were introduced by Oxford Performance Materials that were made possible by the versatility of their OXPEKK® polymers.
Jan 13, 2010 - Eastman Chemical Company to Launch Design Collaboration with DD Studio at MD&M West

Eastman Chemical Company announced that it will launch a design collaboration with DD Studio, a leading design thinking and product development firm, at the Medical Design & Manufacturing West (MD&M West) trade show Feb. 9 to 11, 2010, in Anaheim, Calif. During the show, Eastman also will introduce expanded capabilities of its polymer portfolio for medical packaging.
Jan 05, 2010 - Medtronic Introduces the Sovereign™ Spinal System for Lumbar Surgery

Medtronic, Inc. announced the U.S. launch of the SOVEREIGN™ Spinal System, an intervertebral body (interbody) fusion device used to treat patients who suffer from a degenerative condition that affects the lumbar spine. Made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), the SOVEREIGN device is radiolucent on x-rays, which allows the surgeon to view the spinal fusion.