This year’s Chinaplas on 25-28 April, 2016 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre will feature a plethora of polymer technologies aimed at improving today’s healthcare environment
Polymer technology plays a vital role in the medical products sector. At this year’s Chinaplas these innovations will be showcased highlighting the advanced materials and processing technologies used in today’s medical products.
Biocompatibility as a driving force
Materials that are implanted into the body or that are used in applications where they come into direct contact with human tissue are subjected to rigorous testing to ensure they do not cause any adverse reactions. Polymers such as liquid silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomers and various biopolymers are proving themselves to be up to the task.
Firms such as Germany’s Gerresheimer Group are turning to cyclic olefin polymers (COPs) to replace glass in a number of vials and syringes. This is due in part to the rise in popularity of bio-based pharmaceuticals. COP, which is more chemically inert than glass, is a desirable primary package that offers excellent barrier properties and is less likely to break.
Meanwhile, in hip-replacement procedures, carbon-fibre-reinforced PEEK (polyetheretherketone) – a high-strength, wear-resistant, biocompatible polymer composite – is being used to form a high-tech hip socket, mostly replacing metal.
Additive manufacturing adds a new dimension
Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing is revolutionising the medical sector. Using a variety of materials – including a growing number of plastic resins – doctors now can do things never before possible. Using 3D printing, they now can replicate damaged sections of the human skull, or other body parts such as hip and knee, dental crowns, and manufacture biocompatible and perfectly customised pieces that can be used to reconstruct the damaged area. 3D printed anatomical models have been helping surgeons practicing and achieving better surgical results. 3D printed drugs are becoming popular to produce personalised medication for more targeted therapy. Additive manufacturing market in medical application is expanding rapidly. Currently $83.7 million worth of material is being consumed annually in medical sector alone; while the selling of printing machine will be doubled from $24-million in 2014 to $56-million by 2020.
These technologies just scratch the surface when it comes to the variety of materials and equipment that are reshaping today’s dynamic medical sector, says the organiser of the event.
The 2nd Medical Plastics Conference will be held alongside the show on where international experts will talk about the latest topics in the industry covering 3D printing, advanced medical grade polymers, pharmaceutical packaging and technology breakthroughs. The conference provides a focused networking platform for material suppliers, processing suppliers and medical products suppliers to exchange insights and ideas with one another.