Medical

Toray Medical will manufacture a polysulfone membrane dialysis device, which it calls an artificial kidney, in a plant under construction in Qingdao, China.

In the dialysis process, solutions from a patient suffering kidney failure are diffused across a semipermeable membrane such as polysulfone film while circulating outside of the body. Urea and other waste products, potassium, and phosphate diffuse into the dialysis solution. Polysulfone dialysis membranes are well known to have excellent biocompatibility in clinical use.

The initial application for the industry's first cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) elastomer is expected to debut soon in an extruded medical application.

The newly developed material targets plastics such as nylon and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in medical applications including tubing and bags. The benefits of the COC elastomer for film are toughness, purity and moisture barrier.

Polyzen (Apex, NC) is expanding capacity and adding employees to meet rapidly growing demand for its proprietary medical materials, including a new polyurethane film for low-pressure balloons used in cardiovascular and other surgeries.

A fascinating, rapidly emerging concept in the medical field is use of a capsule that is swallowed and captures images that are remotely reviewed. In current versions, the pill-sized plastic capsules take photos at random intervals, a technique that isn't considered adequate for cancer screening.

Newer systems are elaborate and much higher-tech. Two recently caught my attention.

Microbes are highly creative, hardy little adapters when it comes to survival. Mutation, natural selection and genetic variation are all means which they cleverly employ to evolve and adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Tessy Plastics is investing $4.8 million to expand its plant in Lynchburg, VA, to target the medical disposables market.

The expansion will create 60 new jobs, according to an announcement by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

"As the second injection molding company expansion announcement in Virginia in the last 45 days, this project is testament to this important plastics processing sector," said McDonnell.

Hinges in a newly developed knee replacement technology are made from carbon-fiber reinforced (CFR) polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

Aesculap, a division of healthcare supplier B. Braun Melsungen, is using  PEEK-OPTIMA CFR in its FDA 510k-cleared and CE-Marked EnduRo knee revision system.

In a demonstration at NPE2012, Sodick Plustech (Schaumburg, IL), a manufacturer of high-precision injection molding machinery, will mold a medical syringe made of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) in a mold developed by Nypro (Clinton, MA).

Plastic replaces metal in a device that applies dental fillings, making it lighter and easier to handle.

The working parts of the DinoPress applicator, which are subject to heavy mechanical stress, are now made from polyetheretherketone (PEEK) from Evonik Industries. The device can be steam sterilized up to 134°C.

The new DinoPress has been developed jointly by Gossau, Switzerland-based Alfred Schmid AG, producers of plastic parts for the dental industry for more than 40 years, and Basel, Switzerland-based Dolder AG.

A new low-friction grade of polyacetal will be one of the focal points of a European exhibit of DuPont's polymer line for the healthcare field.

Delrin SC699 polyacetal was specifically developed for parts requiring precision molding in the healthcare industry and is compliant with regulations from the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union.