Americas Technical Center Focuses on Polymers R&D

Originally Published MDDI June 2003

NEWSTRENDS

Gregg Nighswonger

Research and development (R&D) has generally been viewed as the foundation of the medical device industry. Manufacturers typically invest significant portions of their annual sales for R&D efforts. In 2000, for example, publicly owned device firms earmarked an estimated $3.5 billion for R&D. 

Indicative of its commitment to supporting R&D, Bayer Polymers (Pittsburgh) announced in March that it has made a multimillion-dollar investment in its Technical Center labs to develop products, evaluate applications, and provide customer support. The investment includes renovating existing labs and installing several new ones at its Americas Technical Center in Pittsburgh. The labs are designed to develop and test new plastics, polyurethane, and coating materials. 

The updated Americas Technical Center includes a state-of-the-art environmental testing chamber, and laboratories to conduct research and development activities intended to advance various polymer processes. Among these are injection molding, coextrusion, and thermoforming. Two similar centers are located in Leverkusen, Germany, and Shanghai, China.
In addition to the facilities improvements, Bayer has consolidated its technical competencies within the Americas Technical Center. In January, it formed four new independent companies: Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience, Bayer Chemicals, and Bayer Polymers. 

Bayer Polymers combines the people and resources of four former Bayer Corp. divisions: Plastics, Polyurethanes, Coatings and Colorants, and Rubber. The new company became legally independent in February. Bayer Corp. has also closed its plastics-focused R&D facility in Indian Orchard, MA. 

According to Robert C. Kumpf, Bayer vice president for business development, industry innovations, and creative centers, “We felt the timing was right to put many of our key resources under one roof. This allows us to better take advantage of many unrealized technical and cost synergies across our businesses.”

According to Bayer Polymers's Bryan Iams, “The new technical center is designed to help test various polymer materials, including plastics. In most cases, these materials—like Bayer's Makrolon polycarbonate—must meet specific requirements before being used in medical applications.” 

He adds that these requirements include the material's ability to provide high impact strength, excellent dimensional stability, and glasslike transparency. “The technical center includes various labs and testing devices that enable Bayer engineers to evaluate new material grades for use in medical and other important industries that continue to rely on the properties of plastics in many new devices,” says Iams. Kumpf adds, “New technologies and specialized technical capabilities will continue to be key drivers for success in our competitive market. Our efforts thus far in the Americas have prepared us for our transformation into Bayer Polymers.”

More recently, Bayer announced that Gish Biomedical Inc. (Santa Margarita, CA) has selected Bayer's Makrolon polycarbonate for its Vision Blood Cardioplegia (VBC) system. The device is used in cardiac surgery to cool and warm blood, and is about the size of a human fist. 

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