Imagine a world where medical devices are not only smart and connected but also sustainable and environmentally friendly. This is the future of medical manufacturing, and advanced polymers are leading the charge. At the forefront of this innovation is Covestro, a leading supplier of polycarbonate and polycarbonate blends.
Smart devices, including remote monitoring technology and other medtech with embedded electronics, are a fast-growing segment of the medical manufacturing industry. To meet the increasingly complex requirements of these devices, manufacturers are turning to advanced materials that are not only biocompatible but also sustainable.
Covestro’s Engineering Plastics unit offers a range of polycarbonate and polycarbonate blends, including high heat options. Some of these materials are turned into films, but the Specialty Films side of the business also develops thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) as well as multilayer products. These two business units frequently work together, integrating rigid polycarbonates and flexible films into applications such as smart medical devices and wearables.
## Remote Monitoring with Versatile Films
Ken Schwartz, head of growth and innovation – Specialty Films at Covestro, cites a growing interest in home monitoring devices as a driving factor for the development of new materials. He points to how Covestro’s TPU films can be used in wearable applications such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) patches.
TPU has great adhesive anchorage along with flexibility and, most importantly, breathability, along with water resistance and chemical resistance. The breathability function is what allows for greater wear time. You’re not getting moisture trapped under there – it enables the moisture to diffuse out, keeping the adhesive stuck onto the device and the skin, allowing for greater wear time along with comfort.
## Adaptable AI
On the Engineering Plastics side, Covestro’s Makrolon 2458 polycarbonate was used in the manufacture of InfoBionic.Ai’s MoMe ARC system, which was recently released in its third generation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared remote cardiac monitoring device detects arrhythmias in the wearer and transmits data to physicians via an app. The artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled system can be configured to suit individual patients’ acuity levels.
If you’re in the hospital and you need to have a significant diagnostic version of a heart monitor, it can proceed that way, but if you’re going to be released from the hospital and go home but also need to continue further monitoring, the device can be adjusted so it’s a little bit less sensitive and more friendly to a home environment.
## Keeping Up with Post-COVID Chemical, Sterilization Shifts
Covestro has honed its polycarbonate materials for more than 50 years as a supplier to the healthcare industry. The rigid plastics are used in everything from dialyzers and blood oxygenators to minimally invasive surgical tools. They can be molded into thin walls while remaining tough, allowing for smaller, better-fitting, yet durable devices. They can also offer increased chemical resistance.
What we’ve noticed since the post-pandemic shift is disinfectants and cleaners continually get more and more aggressive in hospital and home settings. We see a good demand for materials that have higher chemical resistance. We’re also seeing some innovation happening on new sterilization methods – moving away from more of the traditional gamma, electron beam (E-beam), and ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization.
## Mass Customization, Drug Delivery, and Beyond
As wearables become more common, manufacturers are tailoring them toward the patient as a consumer, making them more aesthetically pleasing with design and color modifications. Comfort and appearance contribute to patient compliance, so Covestro relies on its global color and design centers to develop colors, finishes, and textures to appeal to the wearer.
Films are particularly suited to mass customization, according to Schwartz, and another area of high demand for Covestro is wound care. Treating a wound or burn has gone far beyond applying an off-the-shelf bandage; advanced polyurethane (PU) and TPU materials can be tweaked to offer optimum healing benefits for various injury types. Covestro has developed multilayer films
