Medical Markets and Applications

Minimally invasive devices are one of the fastest growing medical device segments. These instruments are used to perform surgical and diagnostic procedures through small portals into the body rather than large incisions, significantly reducing a patient’s potential for pain, complications, and recovery time.  

• Applications: Catheters, laparoscopic devices, and endoscopes.
• Material solutions: Rigid and elastomeric polymers.    

Fluid management is the industry's largest single medical device segment, including devices used to control, deliver, monitor, or dispose of fluids moving into and out of the body.  

• Applications: Intravenous (IV) lines, syringes, infusion systems, pumps, feeding systems, connectors, valves, accessories, tubing, and medical bags.
• Material solutions: Rigid, elastomeric, and flexible polymers.  

The diagnostics and labware segment is a large and growing application area in the medical industry. Medical diagnostics is the process of analyzing information, typically collected from bodily contents (e.g. blood, tissue, urine), by subjecting them to tests to identify the cause of disease or conditions. Labware refers to the disposable components used in the collection, storage, and testing process.  

• Applications:
  • Diagnostics: Centrifuges, blood glucose meters, microfluidics, and more.
  • Labware: Vials, tubes, cassettes, petri dishes, and more.
• Material solutions: Rigid, elastomeric, and flexible polymers. 

Medical mobility/ambulatory devices help individuals with movement challenges, such as the elderly, disabled, or those recovering from injuries.  

• Applications: Wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, crutches, as well as medical furniture.
• Material solutions: Commodity and engineering materials, as well as flexible and elastomeric polymers.   

Anesthesia and respiratory devices perform four key therapeutic and diagnostic functions: delivering, measuring, and controlling the patient’s delivery of gas or liquids, as well as monitoring the patient’s well-being during a procedure. 

• Applications: Structural components, gears, housings, bulbs, masks, tubing/hose, and airway management.
• Material solutions: Rigid and flexible polymers.   

Medical equipment includes a wide range of devices used for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. Enclosures are protective housings for medical devices that safeguard internal components from dust, water, and other contaminants, which is critical for safety and functionality. These require very specific materials and designs to meet high standards for durability, cleanability, and compliance.   

• Applications: Medical and diagnostic equipment, and medical device housings.
• Material solutions: Rigid engineering and elastomeric materials.

Surgical instruments are specialized tools designed to facilitate various tasks, such as cutting, grasping, retracting, and suturing tissue during surgical procedures.  

• Applications: Cutting, grasping, retracting, and suturing instruments, hemostats, and other specialized instruments.
• Materials solutions: Engineering and elastomeric polymers. 

Imaging and radiology are medical fields that use technology to create pictures of the inside of the body for diagnosing and treating diseases. Radiology is the specific medical specialty, while imaging is the process and the technology used.  

• Applications: X-ray, MRI, and ultrasound.
• Material solutions: Engineering, commodity, and elastomeric materials. 

Parenteral and enteral nutrition are two methods of providing nutrients to people who cannot meet their nutritional needs orally. Enteral nutrition uses the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, delivered through a feeding tube into the stomach or intestines, or sometimes by mouth. Parenteral nutrition bypasses the digestive system entirely, delivering nutrients directly into the bloodstream through an intravenous (IV) line.  

• Applications: Parenteral and enteral feeding devices.
• Material solutions: Flexible and elastomeric polymers. 

The dental segment consists of general and diagnostic equipment, laboratory equipment, operatory equipment, and treatment-based equipment and devices.  

• Applications: Clear aligners, dental crowns, dentures, orthodontic devices, and fillings.
• Material solutions: Elastomers and engineering materials (PMMA).

Diabetes medical devices play a crucial role in managing diabetes by providing real-time information and automating insulin delivery. 

• Applications: Continuous glucose monitoring and insulin delivery devices.
• Material solutions: Engineering polymers and elastomeric/flexible materials.

Expanding patient monitoring segments include cardiac, respiratory, fetal and neo-natal, temperature, hemodynamic, weight, blood glucose, multi-parameter, and neuromonitoring. 

• Applications: Medical enclosures and haptics.
• Material solutions: Rigid engineering and elastomeric materials.