For virtually everyone in the U.S., November marks the beginning of winter, shorter days, decreasing temperatures, and Thanksgiving. For those involved with medical device development and manufacturing, it’s also the month for the Medica and CompaMed trade shows in Dusseldorf, Germany. While last year’s event seemed to bring the crowd’s back following the COVID-induced hiatus, this year may be a more true return to form.
 
With this in mind, I reached out to a number of companies who will be exhibiting at the show to find out directly from them what they are showing off or focusing on at the event, what challenges customers have brought them, and where they see their role within the industry in aiding medical device manufacturers. Tackling these questions as well as a couple others, Bob Hergenrother, Ph.D., VP of R&D and Innovation at Biocoat Inc., shared a few insights to help you determine if the firm should be a potential services partner for you in 2024 or beyond.
 
Sean Fenske: What technology or service are you emphasizing at Medica/CompaMed this year?
 
Dr. Bob Hergenrother: Biocoat is a leading provider of hydrophilic coatings for medical devices. We are continuously innovating and expanding our services to offer a comprehensive turn-key solution for our clients to support their development programs. Our expansion has three components: access to HYDAK hydrophilic coatings, which offer industry-leading performance in UV and thermal; EMERSE, a complete suite of thermal and UV cure dip coating equipment with varying production capabilities to meet the customer’s development requirements; and Contract Coating Services unit, which is specifically built to coat devices in preparation for final assembly. Our customer-focused service provides a turnkey option to support the design of cutting-edge medical devices.
 
Fenske: What’s the most common challenge customers inquire about and how do you address it?
 
Dr. Hergenrother: At Biocoat, we often receive project requests from customers that require specific parameters unique to their devices. Our team of engineers collaborates with their teams to create a custom solution that best fits their requirements and provides high performance. In recent times, we’ve noticed most customers are opting for smaller, softer, and thinner substrate materials to gain further access to treatment areas. Additionally, customers have been looking for more efficient coating processes, especially on metal substrates. However, using these materials poses a challenge as our customers must ensure the materials can be coated to match the lubricity, durability, and particulate performance criteria they have observed on previous projects. Our HYDAK coatings offer industry-leading performance while adhering directly to the substrate, which eliminates additional materials, cuts costs, and improves production efficiency. Working with our coating engineers can ensure the customer’s device receives the best possible coating solution.
 
Fenske: If you could give one piece of advice to companies seeking a manufacturing partner before they make a decision, what would it be?
 
Dr. Hergenrother: It is highly recommended to include hydrophilic coatings in the early phases of project development. It is not uncommon for companies to realize their device requires a hydrophilic coating at a later stage of development, which can lead to significant delays and additional costs. Our team has discovered that incorporating the hydrophilic coating process into the early development plan can save the company valuable time and resources while allowing for more advanced designs.
 
Fenske: What are the forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek your technology/services over doing it in-house?
 
Dr. Hergenrother: Partnering with Biocoat for their coating needs will benefit the customer by saving them time, money, and materials. Our coating engineers are highly skilled and coat customers’ devices in ISO-certified cleanrooms. The coating team creates a stable and repeatable process and regularly tests devices to ensure every device is coated to the correct parameters. Utilizing Biocoat’s facility for coating will eliminate the need for hiring additional engineers or purchasing coating equipment and materials. This will result in cost savings for training, employee working hours, facility upgrades, and freeing up manufacturing floor space.
 
Fenske: In what ways is your company able to aid in getting a product (project) to market faster?
 
Dr. Hergenrother: Our team of engineers is well-equipped to assist medical device companies from the discovery phase of their project all the way to FDA approval. We have vast experience in coating devices in our ISO-certified cleanrooms while finding unique solutions for the project parameters. Our team offers rapid turnaround times to ensure the client’s timeline is met without compromising quality.
 
Biocoat Inc. is located at Medica/Compamed in Hall 8B, Booth/Stand A21.