Evonik Industries AG said it has inaugurated its first applied technology laboratory dedicated to medical devices.
The lab, located in Shanghai, will provide support to medical device manufacturers who use Evonik polymers in their projects.
Main activities are expected to include selection of the most suitable material for the application, characterization of production process conditions (injection molding and extrusion) for successful design and scale-up, and finally manufacturing of technical samples for feasibility studies.
First projects will start in the coming weeks, the Essen, Germany-based company said in a news release.
Similar labs for medical devices are being planned for other regions, with the next opening set for Darmstadt, Germany, to serve the European market.
“The market for medical devices is becoming increasingly important to our health care business, in particular in China, where we expect strong growth over the coming years,” said Jean-Luc Herbeaux, head of the health care business line in the company's nutrition & care segment.
Evonik's Resomer and Resomer Select brands offer biodegradable polymers that are widely used in medical devices such as orthopedic screws and plates. Implanted devices designed with Resomer absorb without a trace in the body over six months to two years, eliminating the need for secondary surgery to remove the devices.
