Covestro pushes development for medical wearables

At the combined Compamed 2019 and Medica 2019 trade fairs from 18 to 21 November in Düsseldorf, Covestro will be presenting solutions for portable medical devices and an innovative wound care concept in Halls 8b and 13. For several years now, the company has been positioning itself as an important material supplier for this emerging market.

At Booth D46 in Hall 13, material solutions for flexible medical electronic patches based on Platilon^® and Baymedix^® polyurethane materials will be presented, as well as new solutions for on-body drug delivery devices made of Makrolon^® polycarbonate and Bayblend^® blends.

A growth market: electronic patches

Electronic patches are already being used in many areas such as patient monitoring, and with the increasing digitization of healthcare, market demand for such products is growing rapidly.

In the field of flexible materials, applications such as electroencephalograms (EEG), maternity belts, blood pressure measuring tapes and individual electrocardiograms (ECG) are at the heart of the markets that Covestro is targeting. Covestro will therefore show prototypes made of its flexible integrated materials:

• Soft, breathable and stretchable Platilon^® films for outstanding patient comfort
• Printable substrates for printed electronics
• Skin- and application-friendly adhesive systems based on Baymedix^® materials
• Weldable foams based on Baymedix^® for safe use of electronics

Plastics for on-body equipment

In addition to flexible materials, Covestro also offers the ideal materials for wearables with hard covers that are required for mobile drug delivery devices or sensitive diagnostic devices, for example. Makrolon^® polycarbonate medical grades meet the requirements for excellent dimensional stability and outstanding mechanical properties and enable the development of safe, patient-friendly devices. Thanks to its high degree of transparency and good surface texture, Makrolon^® also provides a wide range of design options such as the integration of LED light guides. Polycarbonate blends such as Bayblend^® (PC+ABS blends) and Makroblend^® (PC+PBT blends) meet additional customer requirements.

Covestro expert Dr. Ulrike Lützow will give a lecture on "Wearable Housings: Material solutions between medicine and electronics" on November 19, 2019.

Innovative concept for wound prevention

Covestro will be presenting innovations in the field of wound management at Booth H30 in Hall 8b. The company has developed a design study for wound prevention that deals with the three most important factors for bedsore (decubitus): Pressure, friction and shear. A highly breathable prototype is being manufactured exclusively from polyurethane materials from Covestro.

The main features of this prototype wound prevention dressing made of Baymedix^® and Platilon^® materials are:

• Optimized friction, shear and pressure management
• Excellent moisture management to support a healthy microclimate
• Application- and skin-friendly polyurethane adhesive
• Efficient and sustainable manufacturing technology

Components based on these products help increase both cost and manufacturing efficiency by allowing roll-to-roll processing and inline production of all layers. During processing, thermoplastic welding of the edges is possible. Moreover, the process is energy-saving and environmentally compatible because production steps are reduced.

In the course of the Compamed Suppliers Forum Covestro expert Dr. Marc-Stephan Weiser will present the design study for focused wound prevention on November 20, 2019, at 3.30 pm in Hall 8b.

About Covestro:

With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.

For more information please see www.covestro.com.
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/covestro

Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.