Miniature medical helpers
Helix Medical develops complex solutions
Press contact
Cornelia Buchta-Noack
Freudenberg & Co. KG
Weinheim,
technology
November
has
held
12,
2014.
a
special
Since
1957,
position
medical
within
the
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone +49 (0) 6201 80-4094
Fax +49 (0) 6201 88-4094
cornelia.buchta-noack@freudenberg.de
Freudenberg Group. Innovations such as biodegradable
www.freudenberg.de
wound
Jens Zillmann
dressings,
real-time
lung
function
monitoring
systems or micro-implants make life easier for patients and
Freudenberg & Co. KG
Corporate Communications
physicians. Over the past 30 years, the Helix Medical
Phone +49 (0) 6201 80-6627
Business Group has won a reputation as a leading supplier
jens.zillmann@freudenberg.de
of
precision
silicone
and
thermoplastic
components,
minimally invasive devices and voice prostheses. At
Medica/ComPaMED in Düsseldorf, Helix Medical is also
presenting its HelixMicro technology program, focusing on
miniature medical solutions.
Miniaturization is one of the major trends in medical technology.
In modern medical devices, very little space is available for
precision
silicone
components.
Frequently,
individual
components only have a size of a few millimeters. Nevertheless,
they must reliably perform their increasingly complex functions.
As a result, the shapes of the components are also becoming
more complex and are subject to tighter and tighter tolerance
limits. Helix Medical is facing up to these challenges.
The medical technology specialist has developed and installed
its HelixMicro program at its Kaiserslautern production plant in
the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The program
combines innovative technical equipment with the materials and
process competence of Helix Medical. This has led to the
development of a unique product portfolio including silicone
tubes with a diameter of 0.2 millimeters and lower produced to
dimension tolerances in the range of hundreds of millimeters.
Fax +49 (0) 6201 88-6627
www.freudenberg.de
These tubes are used in hearing prostheses for example. For
implants in the fields of ear, nose and throat surgery and
neurology, Helix Medical produces silicone moldings by the
precision injection molding process. The material used in each
production cycle, the “shot weight”, is less than 1 milligram. “Our
blend of machine fleet, process competence and development
support is what makes the difference,” explains René Heilmann,
Marketing Manager at Helix Medical.
In the HelixMicro program, processes downstream from the
actual molding stage are especially important. A wide variety of
treatment and coating processes are available. Depending on
the material and the effects required, the silicone can be given
water-repellent,
water-soluble,
oil-repellent
or
oil-soluble
properties. In addition, friction can be reduced by targeted
surface modification to eliminate the adhesive effect of silicone.
Reduced friction is always important if a silicone part is to be
installed using an automated process. “With precision molds
which have a size of only a few millimeters, things can be
exciting. With surface modifications using nano-technology, you
can really program a silicone part,” Heilmann explains.
About the Freudenberg Group
The Freudenberg Group is a family company offering its customers
technically challenging product solutions and services. The Group
develops and manufactures seals, vibration control components,
filters, nonwovens, products for surface treatment, release agents and
specialty lubricants, medical and mechatronic products. Especially for
mid-size companies Freudenberg develops software solutions and IT
services. The end-user can find modern mechanical household
cleaning products from Freudenberg in the shops under the brand
names of vileda®, O-Cedar®, Wettex®, Gala® and SWASH®. The
Freudenberg Group employed about 40,000 people in about 60
countries and generated sales of more than €6.6 billion in 2013
(including pro-rata consolidation of our 50:50 joint ventures). For
further information, please go to www.freudenberg.de