Originally Published EMDM January 2006
Industry News
In Brief
BASF Plays It Safe
A plasticizer engineered for use with flexible PVC that is said to provide the same soft touch of phthalate-based plasticizers without the alleged health risks has been developed by BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany). The use of phthalates in children’s toys was banned last year by the European Commission, and their use in medical devices routinely comes under scrutiny, despite a lack of consensus on whether or not a health risk exists.
BASF reports having invested more than $4 million in an intensive testing programme, which shows the Hexamol Dinch material to have a very low migration rate. Most of the testing has been performed in Europe and Asia, but import permits are available for the United States, Canada, Japan, and other countries, according to BASF.
For more information, contact BASF, Ludwigshafen, D-67056, Germany; phone: +49 621 6059349; fax: +49 621 6021694; Internet: www.basf.com.
Olympus Expands Irish Reagents Facility
Flush with consistent double-digit growth in its immunoassay business, Olympus Diagnostics Systems Group (O’Callaghan’s Mills, Ireland) is banking on continued strong demand for its products by expanding its facility near Shannon airport in County Clare. The 102,000-sq-ft site will handle R&D, verification, and optimization of the full line of Olympus assays. The site has also been designated as the international reagent production centre for the firm’s chemistry analyzers and its forthcoming immunoassay systems.
The renovation and expansion cost more than US$6.2 million and took just over one year to complete. The facility includes an R&D area with extensive wet-chemistry labs and a manufacturing centre. State-of-the-art robotic systems have been installed to ensure accuracy and reliability.
For more information, contact Olympus Diagnostics Systems Group, Lismeehan, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Co. Clare, Ireland; phone: +353 65 6831177; fax: +353 65 6831122; e-mail: matt.mccusker@olympus.ie; Internet: www.olympus-europa.com.
Bosch Tells Medical OEMs, Leave the Driving to Us
Bosch Rexroth AG Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies (Schweinfurt, Germany) has acquired Netherlands-based Nyquist BV (Eindhoven), a supplier of industrial motion-control systems to the medical device and semiconductor industries. The purchase broadens the scope of products that Bosch Rexroth can offer the med-tech industry.
Bosch Rexroth is now able to be a single-source supplier of combined motion-control products to medical device OEMs, says Wolfgang Dangel, president and CEO of North American operations. “This helps OEMs to streamline their machine design, engineering, supply chain, and assembly needs,” he adds. “It allows them to concentrate on differentiating high-value products for their customers.”
For more information, contact Bosch Rexroth AG Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies, Ernst-Sachs-Str. 100, D-97419 Schweinfurt, Germany; phone: +49 9721 9370; fax: +49 9721 937377; Internet: www.boschrexroth.com/brl.
Researchers Receive Grant for Development of Implantable Pressure Sensors
One of the oldest independent MEMS companies in the world, Integrated Sensing Systems (Ypsilanti, MI, USA) is collaborating with researchers at Wayne State University (Detroit) to develop a wireless pressure sensor for monitoring congestive heart failure (CHF). The project recently received a grant from the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor Fund that will provide 50% of the funding required for the US$2 million research initiative.
CHF has been called a “new epidemic” by the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The disease reportedly affects about 5 million patients in the United States alone, and survival is poor: about 20% of patients die within the first year and 50% succumb within five years. The technology under development will save lives and improve patients’ quality of life by dynamically tailoring medication through the use of frequent and noninvasive heart measurements.
For additional information, contact Integrated Sensing Systems, 391 Airport Industrial Dr., Ypsilanti, MI 48198, USA; phone: +1 734 5479896; fax: +1 734 5479964; Internet: www.mems-issys.com.
French Cantilever Technology Enhances Nanoscale Measurement Instrument
Magnetic actuated cantilever technology developed by the Institut Curie of Paris has been licensed by Asylum Research (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) for use in its atomic force microscopes. Tiny oscillating currents are used to actuate and directly drive the cantilevers. The technology overcomes the limitations of other techniques that require magnetic coated cantilevers, according to the firm. The quality of the magnetic film coating is unreliable, explains Asylum Research, and it may corrupt experiments with unwanted metal ions.
The technique is suited for nondestructive atomic force microscopy of sensitive samples.
For more information, contact Asylum Research, 6310 Hollister Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93117, USA; phone: +1 805 6966466; fax: +1 805 6966444; Internet: www.asylumresearch.com.
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