Medical Musings: Study, adapt, prosper

Winners in the fast-growing and changing medical plastics market will be technology specialists. New quality, cost and regulatory demands are rapidly upping the ante for processors who want to participate.

In that spirit, here are a few areas of specialization coupled with upcoming educational opportunities.

Close-tolerance, thin-walled catheters.  Catheters are one of the biggest parts of the $48 billion US disposable medical supplies industry. The rise of minimally invasive surgeries is driving the demand for

Drilling thin-walled tubing is one skill set that will be in demand. Photo: American Kuhne

miniaturized, precision gel-free tubing.  For inspiration, look at the thin walled, ultra high strength heat shrink tubing developed by the Advanced Polymers Group of Vention Medical. For starters, think about attending a two-day Technical Medical Seminar for Extrusion Engineers and Catheter Designers being held March 7-8 in Las Vegas by American Kuhne.

Liquid silicone rubber components. A drive to reduce use of solvent-based products is propelling use of solventless thermal-curing silicones.  The global silicone market is forecast to reach $17.2 billion by 2017, according to a report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Adding LSR to processing capabilities broadens your appeal to medical device OEMs. For inspiration, look at the multi-material LSR molding at Phillips Plastics. A good opportunity to network and learn about LSR molding is an annual technical symposium sponsored by Arburg and Shin-Etsu Silicones.

Scientific molding. Full closed-loop process monitoring is increasingly required in the medical field. Most importantly, process control ensures repeatability and par quality. But it also helps establish an ironclad documentation trail. One of the leading mavens is former Dow process tech John Bozzelli. Learning from Bozzelli is like "drinking water from a fire hose" as one seminar participant put it, but the information deluge is invaluable. He's offering 11 seminars this year. Another great training organization is RJG, Inc, headed by industry maven Rod Groleau. RJG is offering many courses this year. Another great resource is Paulson Training, which also offers Webinars.

Of course, I could extend this much farther, and I will add on. Suggestions welcome at dougsmock@gmail.com