Medical device manufacturers continue to push boundaries regarding the capabilities that their products can offer physicians and patients. Aging population and economic gains in developing countries are driving medical device manufacturers across the globe to improve productivity, minimize secondary processes and reduce overall system costs. Selecting the right medical polymer compounder can support those objectives by dramatically impacting commercial timelines for new medical device products.
“In this era of globalization and the need to meet regulatory compliance requirements across a wide geographic footprint, working with medical polymer compounders that can assist medical device manufacturers in meeting those objectives has become more critical now than ever before,” explains Ian Kenny, global managing director, Colorite.
In addition to offering medical device manufacturers regulatory compliance assistance, medical polymer compounders are also called upon to help push material capability boundaries. Unique requirements are frequently a critical component of next-generation devices, which requires a medical compounder who has the technical knowledge to provide leading-edge solutions.
“Polymers and polymer compounds play a central role in the development of a wide range of medical devices. Therefore, it’s critical to partner with a team that has knowledge across the following categories: non-invasive, invasive, non-contact, as well as short and long term contact,” Kenny said.
It is also important to work with a compounder that does not have a vested interest in recommending one material over another, but is “polymer neutral” in finding the right solution for a specific medical device application. Additionally, compounders who also have customization capability can facilitate necessary out-of-the-box thinking, leading to boundary-pushing performance attributes. For additional information on ideal medical polymer compounder attributes, please visit this website page.
