Our biomedical device customers range from individual doctors and small start-ups to esteemed biomedical device companies and large international medical device firms. Formacoat has the experience and depth of knowledge to benefit a wide array of customers, from healthcare device companies to innovative medical startups. Regardless of your company’s size, Formacoat is your trusted partner for all your coating requirements.
Equipped with the latest in medical technology, Formacoat boasts state-of-the-art biomedical coating equipment, facilities, and coatings, ensuring we can address any coating challenge. Our vast experience and creativity drive us to innovate continuously, allowing us to coat a diverse range of devices, from OD, ID’s, stents, and balloons to flat films, foils, mesh, and uniquely shaped medical devices using an extensive array of biomedical materials.
At Formacoat, we believe that while no medical device coating is inherently flawed, the right coating chemistry can make a significant difference. Imagine owning both a Ferrari and a pickup truck. The Ferrari, while being a luxury automobile, wouldn’t be your go-to for hauling plywood from the lumber yard. Similarly, coatings need to be tailor-made for specific applications.
Leveraging two decades of biomedical device coating expertise, we harness our accumulated knowledge and rigorous testing protocols to identify the optimal coating for your needs. If a specific coating doesn’t meet your expectations, our partnerships with numerous vendors allow us to pivot swiftly, applying insights from initial experiments to different types of coatings. This means you won’t have to repeatedly explain your medical device’s intricacies, as you might with multiple coating vendors. And, while these medical device coating vendors might be restricted to their specific coatings and chemistries, Formacoat’s comprehensive approach ensures you receive the best solution in terms of functionality, compatibility, and cost. Our streamlined process ensures efficient and effective project completion, maximizing both time and monetary investments.
Our most common contract manufacturing service request is for medical devices to be coated with hydrophilic coatings to reduce friction. These coatings, activated by water, drastically reduce friction, often outperforming common medical device materials, including the likes of Teflon and other fluorinated surfaces. At Formacoat, our collaborations with multiple vendors amplify our hydrophilic coating technologies and chemistries.
Since our inception in 2002, Formacoat has continuously expanded its offerings. Today, we provide a plethora of coatings, from hydrophilic and hydrophobic to Surface-blocking/Anti-fouling, Anti-Microbial, Heparin, Collagen, and PSA/Adhesive coatings. We’re also enhancing our range of PTFE and other fluorinated coatings, catering to diverse temperature requirements. These coatings are primarily cured through thermal means or ultraviolet light exposure. With a catalog boasting over 90 distinct coatings from more than 45 different vendors, Formacoat is a hub for varied coating solutions, employing methods like dip, spray, graft, and roll for standard medical devices such as catheters, micro-catheters, tubing, guidewires, and more.
At Formacoat®, if you can envision it, we can coat it!
When it comes to non-stick coating, we often think of pots, pans, and various kitchen utensils. However, coating services are not limited to the food processing industry but are rather an integral part of a variety of industries which we rely on heavily. These include the medical, industrial, automotive, and chemical processing trades, all of which depend on a variation of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coatings to ensure the optimum function of certain processes.
The medical industry relies on non-stick coating in more ways than one – from surgical instruments to guidewires and catheters. The non-stick coating ensures that the surface of the instrument does not gather any matter during a procedure. A PTFE coating with a non-acid formulation is also applied to a number of medical wires. These wires are necessary for a variation of medical devices and mandrels that are required to remain sterile, and which need to be protected from a number of elements, including the exposure to a variety of environments.
Aside from the fact that non-stick coating assists us when attempting to cook the perfect fried egg, it is also an integral role-player in a number of important procedures in the medical field.
Because there are many different types of medical devices, there are various different types of medical coatings used in the industry. Each one provides a different usage and benefit than another, ultimately making them better for some materials than others. Adding a non-stick coating on medical devices can help any procedure run smoother.
Lubricants, otherwise known as lubricious coatings, are used when friction is likely to occur between a medical device and a biological opening. The job of this coating is to reduce the amount of friction, either static or kinetic, during the insertion process. An example of this can be seen with a catheter – without a lubricious coating, the experience would likely be painful and unpleasant for the patient. It’s important to note that since this coating is making direct contact with the internal body of a patient, it must be FDA standards.
Hydrophilic, which means water loving, is a type of medical device coating which ensures their proper function. Some devices require an increased wetness when exposed to moisture in order to perform properly. For example, a microscopic sponge utilizes this coating to remain low-friction while absorbing liquid. It’s been measured that these coatings can allow a low friction force of 3 grams. Not only does this provide the patient with comfort, but it allows medical professionals to work smoothly.
When handling bodily excrements, it’s important to use an antimicrobial coating. This prevents any potential of transfer of biohazardous material to any other surface. These coatings are capable of killing up to 100 percent of bacteria and fungi. Some examples of issues that could be prevented when using an antimicrobial coating include but are not limited to the spread of E. coli and staphylococcus.
Surgical equipment is treated with a coating of both non-stick and antimicrobial properties that ensure the lowest amount of friction between two objects. Not only is the surgical equipment sterile, but it also ensures that it does not stick to a variety of surfaces both before and during surgical environments. PTFE coating is also applied to the sterile packaging of equipment and medication to ensure that the surfaces do not stick together during any of the transportation, heating, and administration processes.
Analytical devices and monitoring machinery contain a variety of wires and operational components that contain a PTFE coating. This coating ensures a minimal amount of friction between the components, while also keeping microorganisms from growing on the various surfaces.
Without the PTFE coating, biomedical equipment and medical machinery would be vulnerable to the growth of harmful microorganisms, painful and debilitating friction, transplant rejection, and malfunction. Call us at (773) 282-9100 for reliable coating services, and to ensure that your medical equipment meets international standards.
Medical Grade Silicone can mean multiple things across various industries. Depending on what you need to use the product for, it can be applied in different scenarios. The first subgroup is considered Medical Long-Term Implantable Silicone and can be used inside the body. The second form is known as Medical-Healthcare Grade, which is used for short-term use, typically not imbedded or implanted into the body. Anything that is in contact with the body likely has an antimicrobial coating, as well as a hydrophobic surface to prevent water or liquid for soaking into the silicone.
In terms of their compositions, there are four common types of material they’re made of. These are:
Surface Solutions Group is perfect for silicone coatings because we have plenty of different coatings available for whatever purpose you may need. Our enhanced formulas reduce the amount of friction you can expect. This allows the materials to smoothly slide on whatever surface you’re using, as well as the ability to have a perfect fit each and every time.
Choosing Surface Solutions Group for any of your silicone coating needs will ensure your products and goods will be strong, protected, and useable for years to come. Contact a Surface Solutions Group representative today to learn more about medical grade silicone.