Compamed 2012, held in parallel with the Medica, saw 645 exhibitors from 34 countries exhibiting at a floor space of 11,600sqm from November 14-16, all record highs for the show. Messe Düsseldorf, the organizer of Medica and Compamed, announced that of the total 130,600 visitors that were able to access both events, more than 16,000 of them also came to Compamed.
“Visitors were given an impressive overview of the range of services offered by suppliers. The industry has not been just about the manufacture of individual components for some time. Compamed exhibitors are competent partners in all phases of the product life cycle – from product development to production to spare parts management,” according to Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf. At the show, Bayer MaterialScience introduced a new polyurethane (PU) raw material, which allows for the manufacture of especially soft and supple foams.
With its high absorption and good fluid retention, it is said to meet today’s requirements on moisture management for modern wound dressings. These foams can be coated with a skin-tolerant adhesive which is also based on aliphatic PU chemistry. Due to its hydrophilic properties and adjustable adhesive force, adhesives can be used in a variety of wound treatments.
Igus, a Germany polymer materials supplier, is also working with plastics, but for very different applications. “We develop some polymers for parts which are in motion but should not need lubrication,” says Dominik Hartmann, Product manager at Igus. Meanwhile, German-based Schott launched the ultra-pure visual glass fiber Puravis. As said, the glass for the new fibers with improved optical properties is manufactured without environmentally-critical elements of antimony, arsenic or lead according to state of the art melting methods.
“Transmission over a fiber optic 1m in length is up to 10% better. Due to the low color shift, even when using longer conductors, the illuminated objects retain their natural color,” stresses Karen Holst, Product Manager in the Medical division at Scott. Puravis is ideal for endoscopy to surgical microscopy. Schott adds that the material is designed for the particular demands on disinfection and autoclaving, but can still offer a long service life.
