Originally Published EMDM March/April 2002
INDUSTRY NEWS
Plastics Supplier Opens European Research Site |
| The Styrenics Technology Centre contains a full range of preexpansion and foam-moulding equipment, enabling Nova to simulate conditions in customers' plants in the development of new products. |
A commodity chemical company that produces styrenics and polyolefins for the medical industry has opened a US$5 million technology centre for styrenics in Breda, Netherlands. The new facility adds a European contingent to Nova Chemicals's (Fribourg, Switzerland) existing network of technology centres in North America. The site will enable the company to work side by side with European customers to target their specific needs. "With the technology centre up and running as of 1 November, we can now work closely with device manufacturers in Europe and support them in their developments," says Marc Vlug, market development manager for Nova Chemicals.
The Styrenics Technology Centre houses application development equipment, a research laboratory, and pilot process lines. Located approximately 50 km south of Rotterdam, the facility is dedicated to polystyrene and expandable polystyrene research and development. Employees at the centre develop new products, improve manufacturing processes, provide applications development support to customers, and provide testing services and support using state-of-the-art analytical, microscopy, and testing instruments.
Nova Chemicals first began supplying the European medical product industry 10 years ago with Zylar, a styrenic polymer used for the manufacture of medical devices. Today, a number of transparent parts are being moulded using the company's materials both in Europe and the United States. "We offer a range of materials that are particularly useful to medical device manufacturers as they offer a combination of transparency, toughness, and processability," says Vlug. "Moreover, our materials maintain these properties after EtO and gamma sterilization and are resistant to blood, lipids, and alcohols," he adds. Applications for these materials include suction tubes, dialysis components, urine meters, and a variety of filters.
Nova confronts the challenges associated with supplying the medical sector by working closely with moulders and OEMs to ensure that they stay connected to current regulatory changes in the industry. "The key challenges of the medical industry are the stringent quality and product performance requirements," notes Vlug.
For more information, contact Nova Chemicals, Chemin des Mazots 2, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; phone: +41 26 4265656, fax: +41 26 4265657; e-mail: hayozf@novachem.com; Internet: www.novachem.com.
Copyright ©2002 European Medical Device Manufacturer
