MEDICAL | TECHNOLOGY
Suppliers of injection moulding machinery continue to bring innovation to the medical technology market. Mark Holmes finds out how this is helping the Covid-19 response
Machinery manufacturers bring the fight to Covid-19
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic demand for medical products, and personal protective equip- ment (PPE) in particular, has never been greater. Manufacturers of injection moulding machinery have been observing a rapidly expanding medical technology market for many years. However, events in 2020 have also meant the need for these suppliers to respond rapidly to changing market needs and meeting the global challenge. The medical technology market continues to
grow dynamically and offers opportunities for development in multiple directions, according to Arburg. “On the one hand, this is because new materials continually enter the market and expand the areas of application, while on the other we are constantly seeing technical advances in mould technology and in processes that can be applied to medical technology, for example in micromechan- ics and microfluidics,” says Martin Manka, Senior Sales Manager Medical. “The operative terms in
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this context are silicone processing, micro-injection moulding and multi-component processing.” He continues: “One trend is the increasing use
of single-type materials instead of mixed materials. This also allows for an increased recycling rate. If you look at the amount of plastic waste generated in hospitals, for example, and their current recy- cling rate of only around 10%, we can clearly see that much more can be done to increase this percentage. In future, the increased use of bio- based, recyclable and biodegradable materials will be of help in this respect.” The areas of healthcare and diagnostics are showing significant growth. “The general desire among people to monitor their health gives rise to an increased demand for pipette tips in diagnostics, for example,” Manka says. “In addition, there are the areas of personal care and preventive healthcare. This includes smartwatches and other measuring devices that can be used to check and evaluate
September 2020 | INJECTION WORLD 21
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