Trends at Compamed

For materials, this year`s COMPAMED (Nov19 -21) trend preview indicates an even greater increase in interest in the use of synthetics in medical technology. Already almost 50% of all medical products produced globally comprise materials from the chemical industry – and the trend is said to be sharply increasing. Often, synthetic components are combined with other components, for example, made of metal or ceramic. A newly-developed laser bonding process will be used to create high-strength bonds between synthetics and other materials extremely quickly. This development will be demonstrated at the show by the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology under the name of Liftec.

The "High-tech for Medical Devices" product market is set up by the IVAM (International Association of Companies and Institutes in Microtechnology) and its associated forum. Totalling 40 companies and institutes, this year`s IVAM joint booth will set a new exhibitor record. “With the new “Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) for Medical Devices” field, we`re tapping into a current industry trend”, says Dr. Uwe Kleinkes, IVAM`s CEO. Many manufacturers now outsource their production to specialists, some of which will be exhibiting components and systems in the EMS area.
Thin films are also continuing to increase in popularity; amorphous carbon films are now being used in urological stents and carbon coatings have been used for hip and knee implants, artificial heart valves andelectrodes. “Carbon coatings were originally used on metal tools to prevent them wearing out so quickly. Their biocompatibility was discovered at the beginning of the 1990s”, says Lisa Kleinen, Since then, the coatings, which are just a few millimeters thick, have been used for knee and hip implants, artificial heart valves and electrodes. “It is possible to add surface coatings to materials and to vary these to improve the way implants knit together with bone or to prevent them from growing into blood vessels”, explained Lisa Kleinen, a physicist at the Institute for Thin Film Technology at the University of Kaiserslautern. The Institute is currently collaborating with the University Hospital in Bonn in using amorphous carbon films to prevent bacteria films from forming on urological stents.
With around 500 exhibitors from 30 nations, COMPAMED 2008 (Nov 19 -21) will once again stage high-tech solutions for use in the medical technology industry – from new materials, components, preliminary products, packaging materials and services through to complex microsystem technology and made-to-order production.