OUTSOURCING OUTLOOK
Disposables
Contractors must become experts in
their field. Expertise is necessary not only for
developing new products but also for improving
the performance or reducing the cost of existing
or mature ones. To serve as reliable partners of
their OEM customers, disposables manufacturers
must demonstrate expertise about the materials
they convert and the technologies they implement.
They should also be able to provide engineering
advice. Tolerance changes, slight parts modifications, or the addition
of special features can contribute to both the manufacturability and
quality of the component.
Good disposables manufacturers will stay abreast of new technologies,
material developments, and emerging trends. One such emerging trend
in the converting industry is laser cutting, which offers both quick
turnaround times for development and prototype production and the
ability to cut features that previously were not possible using conventional
rotary machinery. As methods for optimizing disposables production,
laser technologies are being integrated into rotary equipment, enabling
manufacturers to cut very fine features at high speeds and changing the
face of the converting industry.
In addition to mastering new technologies, disposables manufacturers
must often function as materials reference guides for their OEM
customers. By transforming materials such as adhesives, films, foams,
foils, and elastomers into finished custom die-cut components, converters
not only provide their customers with technical help in manufacturing
and packaging their products, but also guide them in the selection of the
right materials. Because the materials must be tailored to the application,
contractors must know whether an application requires standard or
custom products. They must also foresee production lead times and
purchase the requisite quantities of materials.
By implementing new technologies, acquiring knowledge of materials,
and cultivating their supply base, disposables contract manufacturers
can help their customers engineer optimal end products that meet both
performance and cost requirements.
—Jeff S. Bradbury, sales engineer, Entrocomponent Solutions, Azusa, CA.
Manufacturer Dip Molds Disposable
Components
A contract manufacturer of silicone,
urethane, and PVC disposable molded
components offers intricate and thin-walled parts down to 0.0005 in. Using a
dip-molding process that involves minimal
tooling costs, the supplier provides
multidiameter wire-reinforced or multilumen
tubing, balloons, coatings, and sheaths,
which are used in stethoscopes, laryngeal tubes, heart catheters, nasal cannulae,
and a range of other medical devices. The company’s dip-molding process is
suitable for rapid prototyping, reiterations, and product development and design.
Additionally, the company provides product design and application assistance.
■ Flexiparts
RICHBORO, PA
www.flexiparts.com
Supplier Offers Rotary Die-Cutting
A contract manufacturer provides wound-care products, in vitro diagnostic
device components, patient-monitoring disposables, IV securement products,
point-of-care disposables, and hospital
and surgical disposables. Providing
Class 100 cleanroom processing, the
ISO 9001– and ISO 13485–certified
and FDA-registered company performs
rotary die-cutting, flat stamping, rotary
printing, laminating, slitting, injection
molding, and packaging operations.
■ Entrocomponent Solutions
AZUSA, CA
www.entrocomponent.com
Contract Manufacturer Assembles
Single-Use Devices
Offering custom assembly and packaging of single-use disposable medical devices,
an FDA- and ISO-certified contract manufacturer provides tube extrusion,
ultrasonic welding, radio-frequency
(RF) welding, impulse sealing for bag
manufacturing, sterilization validation,
and private-label products. The
manufacturer’s computer-controlled
extrusion lines produce standard tubing,
thermal-bonded paratubing, single-and multilumen tubing, and other
products. In addition, its RF-welded
products include a range of bags,
pouches, and cuffs. The company offers
inventory control, R&D support, validation, specification-gap analysis, and turnkey
manufacturing support. It also works with clients to develop customized services.
■ Command Medical Products Inc.
ORMOND BEACH, FL
www.commandmedical.com
Vendor Provides Disposable Parts
Using a variety of processes, including die-cutting, laser cutting, water-jet cutting,
CNC routing, and pad printing, a manufacturer produces medical disposable
parts, including Tyvek medical pouches,
disposable well cards, collagen parts,
insulation products, filters and screens,
and gaskets and seals. The company
claims that its Galvo-based laser, which
is used to cut a range of materials at
speeds that can exceed 100 in./sec, can
cut parts with more-detailed features
than conventional tooling can. In
addition, the laser system employs roll-
to-roll processing for high-volume orders. Materials used for medical applications
include RoHS-compliant Bisco medical silicone MS-6000, DuPont Mylar, and
3M VHB tapes and adhesives.
■ Orion Industries Inc.
AYER, MA
www.orionindustries.com
Contractor Offers Cutting, Piercing,
Delivery Components
A tier 1 supplier provides cutting, piercing, and delivery components and
assemblies for endoscopic, cardiovascular, ophthalmic, orthopedic, and diagnostic
procedures. The company offers CNC laser welding featuring microweld
technology, which uses small weld-spot diameters for fine applications;
dual-beam technology, which enables
users to perform welds on opposite
sides of a part at the same time;
double closed-loop power control,
which offers pulse-to-pulse stability
of less than 1%; and insert molding,
which employs a 60-tn press with a
two-station rotary table configuration
that performs manual or automated
insert molding of sharps. The
company also offers proprietary
sharps-processing techniques in
combination with electrochemical finishing technology. Products include surgical
blades, trocars, custom scalpels, endoscopic scissors, tissue cutters, biopsy
punches, sharpened tubes, specialty access needles, probes, tips, cannulae, stylets,
shaver blades, and bone saws.
■ IncisionTech
STAUNTON, VA
www.incisiontech.com
For more information
and articles on contract
disposables manufacturing, visit
devicelink.com/mpmn/cm
