Originally Published EMDM
October 2004
Industry News
Thermoplastics Supplier Provides Custom Polymer and Process Development ServicesICompanies purchasing small quantities of materials often are short-changed in terms of customer service. Moreover, they may be coerced into buying more than they need.
Foster Corp.’s Applied Polymer Development (APD) group (Putnam, CT, USA) has a better idea. The firm now offers custom polymer and process development services, unrelated to the amount of material purchased, to medical device manufacturers around the globe. By foregoing quantity requirements, the company can provide R&D assistance on a contractual basis to both small- and large-scale manufacturers.
Small-volume material supply purchasers are sometimes required to buy minimum lots substantially greater than their consumption. Technical support may be minimal. “There’s an increasing demand for companies to do R&D regarding material solutions before they can determine how much material is needed,” says Dan Lazas, APD business manager.
The typical transaction between a materials supplier and customer is made in dollars per pound of material purchased. Rather than tell potential customers to return once they have a price-per-pound amount, APD assists customers with the development process on a contractual basis. The company’s polymer engineering skills, laboratory, and processing equipment are available to clients needing services ranging from experimental design to comprehensive material support. Services are offered on time-based rates or project fees, and are tailored to meet application and budget requirements.
Foster Corp. also recently announced that it has partnered with Invibio Inc. (Thornton Cleveleys, Lancs, UK) to offer customized Peek-Classix implantable polymers to medical and pharmaceutical companies. Peek-Classix is a chemically resistant USP Class VI thermoplastic that is suitable for medical device applications. Compounds can be formulated by Foster using a variety of additives including radiopaque fillers, fibre reinforcements, and various colour pigments. These compounds can replace stainless steel and other metals in medical products. Instruments manufactured with the compounds can be repeatedly sterilized.
For more information, contact Foster Corp., 45 Ridge Rd., Putnam, CT 06260, USA; phone: +1 860 9284102; fax: +1 860 9284226; Internet:
www.fostercomp.com.
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