Materials/​Biomaterials

OEM Toll Processing Advances High-Value Products

Toll processing (or toll manufacturing) involves a manufacturer processing customer-supplied materials or parts for a predetermined fee. The customer retains ownership of the materials, while the toll provider applies specialized technologies, equipment, and expertise to deliver the finished components. Read on to learn more about it.

Advances in Polyimide Tubing for Next-Generation Medical Devices

Minimally invasive and interventional platforms increasingly demand smaller profiles, tighter tolerances, and components that maintain performance under thermal, chemical, and mechanical stress. Polyimide (PI) has emerged as a workhorse within these parameters. Read on to learn why.

New Material Extends Life of Orthopedic Implants

A pioneering liquid metal combination is shaping up as a potential secret weapon in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance and promises to outlast existing implant materials.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: Evonik's clinical-grade version of its recombinant collagen-like protein platform for medical device development. Read on to learn more about it.

3D Printed Diamond–Titanium Device Could Lead to Longer-Lasting Implants

RMIT researchers have created an experimental 3D printed diamond–titanium device that generates electricity from flowing liquid and receives wireless power through tissue making it possible to remotely sense changes in flow. Read on to learn more about it.

Metamaterial Could Transform Ingestible and Implantable Medical Devices

Researchers, led by Rice University’s Yong Lin Kong, have developed a soft but strong metamaterial that can be controlled remotely to rapidly transform its size and shape. The invention, published in Science Advances, represents a significant advancement that can potentially transform ingestible and implantable medical devices. Read on to learn more about it.

Micronewton Scale Biotribometer Research of Low Friction Aqueous Gels, Cells, and Tissues

Read on to learn all about tribometry research and what it entails.

Technology Makes ‘Shape Memory’ Dental Aligners

Researchers are testing a new technology that incorporates shape memory material for clear plastic dental aligners, an alternative to traditional metal braces. The clear aligners still need to be improved to the point that there are two materials — clear aligners and metal braces — that are as good as each other. Read on to learn more.

How 3D Printing Is Transforming Medtech

3D printing is transforming the design and production of medical devices. Benefits include creating custom implants, prosthetics, and surgical tools tailored to individual patients, as well as the ability to quickly prototype new devices for testing and development.

Six Winners Announced for the 2025 Women in Engineering: Rising Star Awards

SAE Media Group announced the winners of its Rising Star Awards: Women in Engineering program today during a live online event attended by participants across the globe.

Addressing Material Changes and Safety in Medical Devices

Strategies for assessing risk, streamlining testing, and managing documentation for maintaining product safety.

Designing Resilient LSR Supply Chains Through Vertical Integration

As devices grow smaller, smarter, and more user-centered, materials like liquid silicone rubber (LSR) play a bigger role in enabling performance, comfort, and compliance. From implantables to connected wearables, LSR is helping engineers meet growing design and usability demands. Read on to learn more.

Conductive Polymer Improves Sensor-Based Devices

Scientists have produced a new, powerful electricity-conducting material that could improve wearable technologies, including medical devices. The new technique uses hyaluronic acid applied directly to a gold-plated surface to create a thinner, more durable film, or polymer, used to conduct electricity in devices like biosensors. Read on to learn more.

PHOx: An Innovative, Safer Polymer for Implantable Medical Devices

A team from the GIGA (Cardiology Laboratory) and the CESAM (Centre de recherche sur les macromolécules – CERM) at the University of Liège has developed PHOx, a thermoplastic elastomer without isocyanate PU (NIPU), which is therefore less toxic to produce and much better tolerated by the human body. Read on to learn more.

Elevating Modern Drug-Delivery Devices with Advanced Polymers

In addressing the complex demands of drug-device integration, medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethanes provide a rare trifecta of tunable mechanics, chemical inertness and proven biocompatibility. While this polymer class is historically underutilized in drug delivery compared to more common materials like ethylene-vinyl acetate, it is increasingly favored in specialty product design for both extended release and implantable combination devices. Read on to learn more.

Flexible Material Offers Promise for Self-Powered Wearable Sensors

Could clothing monitor a person’s health in real time, because the clothing itself is a self-powered sensor? A new material created through electrospinning, which is a...

Innovative Tech Enables Shape Memory Dental Aligners

A new technology incorporates a shape memory material for clear plastic dental aligners, an alternative to traditional metal braces.

Fiber Computer Allows Apparel to Run Apps and “Understand” the Wearer

What if the clothes you wear could care for your health? MIT researchers have developed an autonomous programmable computer in the form of an elastic fiber, which could monitor health conditions and physical activity, alerting the wearer to potential health risks in real time. Read on to learn more about it.

3D Ink Improves Comfort, Durability of ‘Smart Wearables’

Researchers have demonstrated a 3D ink printing method for so-called smart fabrics that continues to perform well after repeated washings and abrasion tests. The research...

Wound Dressings Made of Drug-Releasing Polymers

Electrospinning has been used to produce polymer fibers containing the well-known antibacterial drug metronidazole. The mats formed could potentially be used as wound dressings, thanks to an...

Advanced Laser Welding Techniques for Titanium Pacemaker Housing: Achieving Precision, Reliable and Hermetic Sealing

A pacemaker is a small device that helps control your heartbeat so you can return to your normal life. It has three main...

2024 Sustainability Stakeholder Study - Healthcare

In 2024, Plastics Ingenuity interviewed a share of the stakeholders in the healthcare packaging sector. These organizations include medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, biotech products, and life science applications. Read on to learn more.

Qosina Partners with Sealed Air to Offer Bioprocessing Bag Film

Qosina, a distributor of single-use medical and biopharmaceutical components, has formed a strategic partnership with Sealed Air, a provider of high-performance packaging...