Meeting the challenge of Covid-19 with Borealis medical technology solutions

The novel coronavirus has severely tested the capacity of both public and private sectors to respond quickly and effectively to a global pandemic. Supply chains and logistics networks have been disrupted. In the healthcare sector, small-scale manufacturers and unorthodox partnerships – such as those profiled elsewhere in this Newsletter – have been able to compensate in some areas by supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) like face masks and face shields.

As lockdowns around the world continue to be loosened (and often tightened again soon thereafter), many governments are fast-tracking approval processes and encouraging manufacturers to upscale their operations. For example, the EU issued a 15-page statement in mid-April calling on member states to help ease the post-lockdown period by increasing Covid-19 testing capacity in medical facilities, care centres and other dedicated test facilities.

We are here to help: advanced polyolefins for medical equipment along with expert advice

The production of medical and diagnostic devices requires reliable and safe materials, profound technical expertise, and complex production processes in order to ensure high performance and compliance with stringent regulatory guidelines.

With our Bormed™ range of regulated polymers for the healthcare industry, Borealis is here to help our customers select the most suitable materials. Spanning the gamut from very stiff to very soft, our polypropylene and polyethylene materials, as well as plastomers, exhibit desirable product characteristics such as chemical and detergent resistance, very good stiffness and impact balance, low stress cracking, and pleasing aesthetics. This makes them suitable for a wide range of healthcare applications and medical technology equipment.

For example, Bormed grades may be used in respiratory devices for housings and structural parts as well as in tubs, filters, accessories, and tubing fittings. In diagnostic devices, common applications include consumables and accessories such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) plates, pipette tips, diagnostic tubes, housing and structural parts.

For more on Borealis medical technology solutions, go to: https://www.borealis.solutions/polymers-for-medical-technology-equipment/

At Borealis, we are eager to assist our customers in optimising design, maximising resource efficiency, and ensuring the mechanical performance of individual parts. Our modelling and simulation analyses can support our customers’ upscaling efforts. We also offer a comprehensive service package, including rigorous change management procedures, locked-in recipes, and external pharmacopoeia testing.