
What to Consider When Looking for a Firm to Help With Polymer Conversions?
It’s an incredible achievement to design a new medical device. Whether it’s an improvement on an existing design, or something completely groundbreaking, a lot of effort goes into taking the design from the drawing board and making it a reality.
The more complex the design, the more difficult it becomes. What materials do you use in the production phase? How quickly can production be ramped up once the prototype has been tested and found to work? What is needed to ensure that the device is high-quality?
These are all questions that the designer has to ask themselves before they even start to research the product. Let’s have a look at what else you should consider.
The Material Used
With medical devices, you cannot take any chances. You could be talking about life or death, so you need to use a high-quality component which means choosing the right materials from the start.
High-performance polymers are generally preferred in the industry because they last well and do not react with the body’s tissues and blood. A component made out of these polymers can typically be relied upon to last well and to perform well.
You’ll need to work with a firm that can assist you in finding the best polymer mix for your product. Find a specialist firm that can advise you regarding which additives to use to prolong the lifespan of your product overall.
The Process Used
There is a fly in the ointment, though. High-performance polymers require special handling, especially when there are other additives in the mix. The consistency of the mix has to be correctly calculated to ensure that the end-product is flawlessly molded.
This means dealing with a company that specializes in polymer conversions. You want to find a firm that not only understands polymers well, but that has an established track record in the industry. They should be able to assist you during each phase, from creating your prototype, to full-scale production.
Scaling Up Production
Many firms can help you to develop your prototype, but a lot of firms will stop there. This is helpful when you want to create your prototype, but less useful when it comes to scaling up production. Something that works well as a prototype doesn’t necessarily convert into a production line item.
As a result, it’s better to choose a firm that has experience in both prototype creation and full-scale production. That way, you have a partner that will be with you every step of the way. They can tweak the prototype design to iron out any potential flaws while keeping the ultimate aim in mind – production.
Bringing it All Together
Often the difference between the success and failure of a medical device is the material used in its construction. No device, no matter how well thought out, is going to be any good if it’s not durable enough to withstand the rigors of being implanted in the body for any period.
You need help in getting the right mix of polymers and additives that allow for peak performance as well as the lowest possible production costs. This means teaming up with a firm that understands exactly what the materials can and cannot do.

