2010 Plastics in Medical Devices Conference
April 12-14, 2010
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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April 12 Educational Workshops

We will offer a pair of concurrent, half-day workshops at the conference venue, on the Monday afternoon just prior to the Plastics in Medical Devices conference. Each workshop costs $395, or attend one workshop plus the full conference for special, combined price of just $1,095. Register now.

1) Introduction to Plastics Processing for the Medical Market

Presented by Plastics News Global Group in conjunction with the Society of Plastics Engineers' Medical Plastics Division.

Instructors: Len Czuba, President, Czuba Enterprises Inc.
Brenan Riehl, CEO & President, GW Plastics Inc.

Find out what qualities and skills are needed to enter and serve the growing medical devices sector. Which core competencies are most critical to launching a successful healthcare strategy, what are the regulatory issues and how does one overcome the barriers to entry?

Czuba formerly worked for Chicago-based industrial design firm Herbst LaZar Bell, before forming his own product design and development firm focused on taking medical devices from concept to market.

Riehl joined Bethel, Vt.-based GW Plastics in 1988 and became its top executive 11 years ago. In the past decade the company, now with about $80 million in annual sales, has successfully flipped its core concentration from automotive to the healthcare sector.

Len Czuba will cover:
  • Materials in devices: what makes them good and what should be avoided
  • Choosing a material: consider not only function but manufacturing, assembly, sterilization, etc
  • Testing requirements
  • Emerging new materials enabling exciting new therapies
  • Hot topic issues: how they affect materials of construction and new product investment
Brenan Riehl will cover:
  • Clean-room manufacturing
  • Importance of automation in assuring improved quality and cost effectiveness
  • The trend from macro to micro to nano processing
  • Value-added processes: the key to growth
  • Strategic tips for identifying your niche in the health-care market
  • A review of important equipment investment decisions
Click to access the registration form ($395 fee). Secure a significant discount by also registering for the April 13-14 Plastics in Medical Devices conference. Both events are at LaCentre conference facility in Westlake, Ohio.

2) Polymer Considerations in Medical Device Design

Presented by Plastics News Global Group in conjunction with ASM International

Instructor: Jennifer M. Hoffman, PhD., Exponent Failure Analysis Associates

It is essential to understand how and why plastic components fail in medical device applications as an approach to smarter design. This course will provide awareness to the designer of the sensitivity of plastic materials to time, temperature and environmental factors, with a focus on injection molded components. In this course you will learn about common failure modes for plastic materials and how to avoid common pitfalls when designing with plastics. Numerous case studies will be presented.

Jennifer Hoffman will cover:
  • Polymer overview
    • Structure/morphology
    • Time/temperature dependence
  • Medical device polymers
  • Polymer selection for medical applications
  • Melt processing
  • Joining methods
  • Failure modes of plastic materials
  • Medical device failures: Case studies
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
  • Recognize the time and temperature dependence of polymer properties
  • Apply methodology for selecting candidate polymers for a given application
  • Describe the most common failure modes in polymeric medical device components
  • Identify and avoid common pitfalls when designing with plastics
Click to access the registration form ($395 fee). Secure a significant discount by also registering for the April 13-14 Plastics in Medical Devices conference. Both events are at LaCentre conference facility in Westlake, Ohio.


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