Materials, Adhesives & Coatings

Product Launch: Surface-Active Systems for Long-Term Medical Device Performance

BioInteractions (Booth 2906) has launched Surface-Active Systems (SAS), a pioneering new category of high-performance, zero-leaching coating solutions designed...

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.

The Power of the Plasma Pen

Plasma pens integrated into production lines provide targeted plasma treatments that reduce failure rates by improving adhesion and bonding in various critical applications. Read on to learn more about their powers.

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.

New Products and Services

See the new products and services, including Dickson's mapping suite designed to streamline the identification of critical hot and cold zones and the analysis of temperature and humidity trends; Littelfuse's series of sealed tactile switches for surface-mount technology; Mahr Inc.'s height gage designed for ease of use and efficiency in production environments; and 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.

Laser Welding for Polymer Tubing: A New Solution for Adhesive- and Additive-Free Joining

Engineers at EWI have developed a new laser-based welding technique that enables the clean, reliable joining of clear-to-clear polymer tubing without the need for adhesives, solvents, colorants, or any chemical surface treatment. 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.

PRIME Project Launches to Strengthen Nitinol Supply Chain

Five leading companies in the medical device industry have launched the PRIME project — a strategic initiative dedicated to advancing the consistency, scalability, and performance of...

New Products and Services

See the new products and services, including Dymax's expanded portfolio of TPO-free light-curable materials; Instron's advanced noncontacting video extensometer; Würth Elektronik's extended RGB LED product series; Arnold Magnetic Technologies' line of high-energy flexible magnets; and more.

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...

Video Spotlight on Products and Services

See where the video spotlight is this month: on CNC machining; micro linear actuators; a lab tube cutting machine; the 601 series Air Turbine Spindle® mills at 90,000 RPM; MD® multipurpose adhesives; and much more.

Project Set to Develop New Sustainable Materials for Application In Bioprocessing

An industry-academia collaboration to advance sustainable bioprocessing through innovative materials for additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has been announced by Innovate UK (IUK), as part of the “Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D Fund.” Read on to learn more.

System Optimizes Behavior of 3D Printed Materials

A system has been developed to optimize the electrical, thermal, and mechanical behavior of 3D-printed materials. A team has developed an innovative computational model that makes it possible to predict and improve the behavior of multifunctional structures manufactured using 3D printers. Read on to learn more.

Additive Manufacturing of Biomedical Metals for Medical Implant Fabrication

Biomedical metal implant materials are widely used in clinical applications, including dental implants, hip replacement, bone plates, and screws. However, traditional manufacturing processes face limitations in meeting customized medical needs, internal structural control, and efficient material utilization. Read on to learn more.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: Plastic Ingenuity's validated thermoformed ready-to-use pharma tubs. The tubs are comparable to traditional injection molded tubs; however, they offer rapid development, a lower cost of entry, and material reductions.