Trelleborg Medical Expands Tooling, Molding, and Automation Capabilities

The contract development and manufacturing organization is moving its Innovation Center to a larger location to enhance in-house machining and molding services and provide customers with a full array of services under one roof.

To accommodate demand and accelerate design and development for its medtech customers, Trelleborg Medical Solutions is expanding its US-based Innovation Center.

Currently located in Plymouth, MN, the center will move to a new purpose-built space in nearby Delano and encompass more than 45,000 square feet.

Tool shop remodel

The project involves a remodel of the tool shop, which will expand its footprint to 6,000 square feet. It also includes nearly 40,000 square feet of new construction housing a visitor center, additional high-end Swiss machining, injection molding, and increased space for the automation laboratory.  

Part of Sweden-based #Trelleborg, which applies expertise in polymers to a range of applications, Trelleborg Medical Solutions sees its role as facilitating speed to market and ensuring high-quality, reliable supply of products and services to its customers. Business Unit President of Medical Device Solutions for the Americas, Kevin Ehlert explained the “investment enables Trelleborg to deliver on all aspects and provide an exceptional experience to our customers from early stage prototyping all the way to high-volume commercialization, all under one roof.

Collaborative, high-tech meeting space

Innovation Center and New Product Development Director Chris Tellers added that the “additional Swiss machining and injection molding will enhance our in-house capabilities to provide the highest quality components fast without relying on outside shops.

Meanwhile, increased space for automation provides scalability to support future projects, noted Tellers. “The visitor center will be a collaborative, high-tech meeting area where customers can brainstorm on project ideas alongside our experts. This remodel and expansion project enables us to continue doing that but on a larger scale, utilizing more equipment and experts added through our new apprenticeship program.

Four-year apprenticeship program launched

Trelleborg Medical Solutions launched a certified toolmaker apprenticeship program in May 2025. Apprentices learn to construct, troubleshoot, and repair molds, fixtures, and related tools under the guidance of experienced mentors in the course of the four-year program. Trelleborg will hire graduates as Toolmaker, Class B, or Machinist, with eligibility for promotion to Toolmaker, Class A.

Trelleborg Medical Solutions offers medical device OEMS design, development, and manufacturing services across the world. It operates several plants in the United States along with Germany, China, and Malta. A facility is scheduled to open in Costa Rica in the near future.

source : Plastics Today

Medical Manufacturing Technologies Adds Catheter Laser Bonding Specialist to Portfolio

Laser-bonding pioneer Innova Design Inc. has been acquired by #MedicalManufacturingTechnologies (MMT), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management. This acquisition further expands MMT’s suite of bonding technologies, continuing its commitment to delivering advanced solutions to medical device and industrial manufacturers worldwide, the company said in the announcement dated Aug. 22.

San Diego, CA–based Innova Design is credited with developing the first commercial #catheter #laserbonder in 2002. Now featuring its sixth generation of US-made laser bonders, Innova has been instrumental in producing millions of balloon catheters utilized in interventional #medical procedures across the globe. The company has established partnerships with medical device manufacturers in the United States, Ireland, Costa Rica, Brazil, Singapore, China, and Japan.

Common mission

“Today marks an important milestone as we welcome Innova Design to the MMT family,” commented MMT CEO Robbie Atkinson. “Innova’s innovative and pioneering spirit aligns perfectly with our mission to support global manufacturers with reliable, streamlined services and solutions. We look forward to harnessing our combined expertise to drive future innovations in the medical device industry and advance #healthcare worldwide.”

A single-source supplier for automated process-driven medical manufacturing based in Charlotte, NC, MMT’s portfolio of companies includes CathTip, Comco, Engineering by Design, FEPeeler, GenX Medical, Glebar, Innova Design, Interface Catheter Solutions, MMT Automation, MPT Europe, R&D Engineering, Somex Automation, Syneo, and Tridex Technology.

Safety innovations

MMT said that Innova’s laser bonder technology will complement its existing offerings, which include hot box and split die bonding solutions. The Innova laser bonder boasts superior ergonomics and innovative laser safety features — a motorized revolving safety door, enhanced air cooling, linear ball screw laser traverse, integrated diode pointer, beam shutter, and multiple sample holding system configurations.

Innova Design President and founder Adam Chen expressed enthusiasm about the partnership. “Innova Design is thrilled to partner with MMT to enhance bonding capabilities in the medical manufacturing space. As we continue to address the bonding needs of our customers, we are eager to leverage MMT’s resources to provide a comprehensive range of solutions to enhance manufacturing processes and boost productivity,” said Chen.

source : Plastics Today

India Opens First Mobile Tempered Glass Factory

India Opens First Mobile Tempered Glass Factory

India launches its first tempered glass factory for mobile devices in Noida, advancing self-reliance in #electronicsmanufacturing and job creation.

India has taken a major stride toward electronics self-sufficiency with the inauguration of its first-ever #TemperedGlassManufacturing Facility for mobile devices. The factory, located in Noida, was officially opened on August 30, 2025, by Union Minister of Electronics and IT Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Established by Optiemus Electronics in partnership with Corning Incorporated, USA, the facility will manufacture tempered glass under the premium brand “Engineered by Corning”. These products will serve both Indian and global markets, marking a pivotal expansion of India’s domestic electronics production capabilities.

Pushing the Make in India Vision Forward

Building Domestic CapabilitiesTempered glass, a crucial accessory for smartphones, has so far been mostly imported. With this new facility, India aims to manufacture every part of a mobile device, including chips, tempered glass, and server components, as emphasized by Minister Vaishnaw.

This step supports the broader objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat—making India a global leader in electronics by reducing import dependence and increasing local value addition.

Economic and Industrial Impact

India’s electronics sector has grown sixfold in the last 11 years, reaching a production value of ₹11.5 lakh crore, with exports of over ₹3 lakh crore and 2.5 million jobs created. The new facility adds significantly to this momentum

Initial investment: ₹70 crore

Phase 1 capacity: 25 million units/year

Jobs created in Phase 1: 600

Phase 2 expansion: ₹800 crore

Future capacity: 200 million units/year

Expected new jobs: 4,500+

World-Class Manufacturing and Quality Standards

The Noida plant is equipped with cutting-edge infrastructure and offers a complete transformation of raw materials into high-quality tempered glass. Manufacturing stages include,

Scribing and chamfering

Polishing and dual-stage rinsing

Chemical tempering

Coating, printing, and lamination

Every unit undergoes stringent quality checks to ensure BIS certification and fog marking, providing Indian consumers with globally competitive products made domestically.

source : Adda247 Current Affairs

DuPont sells aramids business to materials firm Arclin for $1.8B

DuPont Inc. said it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its aramids business to Arclin Inc. (Alpharetta, Georgia), a portfolio company of an affiliate of private equity firm TJC LP (New York), for approximately $1.8 billion.

DuPont’s #aramids business includes the Kevlar and Nomex synthetic fiber brands. It has a workforce of 1,900 and five manufacturing sites. The aramids business generated net sales of $1.3 billion in 2024.

Arclin has received fully committed financing in connection with the transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, DuPont said in a statement Aug. 29.

DuPont said it will receive pretax cash proceeds of approximately $1.2 billion at close, subject to customary transaction adjustments, a note receivable of $300 million, and a noncontrolling common equity interest in the future Arclin company currently valued at $325 million, which is expected to represent an approximate 17.5% stake at the time of close.

”The aramids transaction further enhances the strategic focus of our portfolio, while also increasing the growth and margin profile,” said Lori Koch, CEO of DuPont.

The aramids divestiture will not impact DuPont’s intended separation of its electronics business, to be called Qnity Electronics Inc., which remains on track for a Nov. 1, 2025, spinoff, DuPont said.

The aramids transaction offers significant growth potential to #Arclin, the company said. "The addition of #Kevlar and #Nomex to the Arclin portfolio presents a unique opportunity to transform our business with increased scale, broader global reach, and market-leading application development capabilities," said Bradley Bolduc, Arclin president and CEO.

Kevlar and Nomex are used in bulletproof vests and firefighting equipment, respectively, for their high-strength and thermal-resistance properties.

Arclin is a materials science company, supplying polymer technologies and manufacturing engineered products and specialized materials for the construction, agriculture, transportation infrastructure, weather and fire protection, pharmaceutical, nutrition, electronics, design and other industries.

Reports in July said that private equity firms #AdventInternational LP and Platinum Equity LLC were preparing bids for #DuPont’s aramids business.

source : Chemweek

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : The Origins of Chemical Notation

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Chemical equations are fundamental to chemistry, allowing scientists to represent chemical reactions in a structured, symbolic form. The development of chemical equations was not the work of a single person but rather a gradual evolution over centuries. However, some key figures played significant roles in shaping how we write and understand chemical reactions today.

The Origins of Chemical Notation

Before the concept of chemical equations, early alchemists used symbolic representations to describe reactions, but these were often ambiguous and lacked standardization.

Georg Ernst Stahl (1660–1734) and Phlogiston Theory

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Georg Ernst Stahl proposed the phlogiston theory, suggesting that substances released a mysterious element called phlogiston when burned. While incorrect, this idea prompted early chemists to think systematically about chemical transformations.

Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794) – The Father of Modern Chemistry

The real breakthrough came with Antoine Lavoisier, who is often credited as the father of modern chemistry. In the late 18th century, Lavoisier debunked the phlogiston theory and introduced the law of conservation of mass, stating that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. This principle laid the groundwork for writing chemical equations.

Lavoisier was one of the first chemists to use a systematic approach to chemical notation. In his 1789 book Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (Elementary Treatise on Chemistry), he introduced a method of representing chemical reactions using elements and compounds, though not in the modern form we use today.

Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1779–1848) – Introducing Modern Symbols

Lavoisier’s work inspired other chemists to improve chemical notation. In the early 19th century, Jöns Jakob Berzelius developed the modern system of chemical symbols, using letters to represent elements (e.g., O for oxygen, H for hydrogen). This innovation made it easier to write reactions concisely and is still used today.

Jean-Baptiste Dumas (1800–1884) and Chemical Equations

French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas contributed to balancing chemical reactions, ensuring they followed the law of conservation of mass. His work, along with others, refined the way chemical equations were written.

Wilhelm Ostwald (1853–1932) and Reaction Kinetics

Later, Wilhelm Ostwald and other 19th-century scientists formalized the mathematical representation of chemical reactions, introducing reaction kinetics and equilibrium concepts that further advanced chemical equation notation.

The invention of chemical equations was a collective effort spanning centuries. While Antoine Lavoisier laid the foundation with the conservation of mass, Jöns Jakob Berzelius introduced the modern notation system, and other chemists refined the concept into what we use today.

source : Tiago Vasconcelos

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Polymer Degradation

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Polymer Degradation

Polymer degradation refers to the process by which polymer materials undergo structural changes, resulting in the loss of their properties and functionality. This degradation can be physical, chemical, or biological, and it impacts the mechanical, thermal, and optical properties of the polymer.

II. Types of Polymer Degradation

1. Thermal Degradation

Thermal degradation occurs when polymers are exposed to high temperatures, causing the breakdown of molecular bonds. This type of degradation is common during processing and manufacturing.

2. Photo-Degradation

Photo-degradation is induced by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight. UV light can break down the chemical bonds in polymers, leading to discoloration, brittleness, and loss of mechanical strength.

3. Oxidative Degradation

Oxidative degradation involves the reaction of polymers with oxygen. This process is accelerated by heat and light and results in the formation of free radicals, which further propagate degradation.

4. Hydrolytic Degradation

Hydrolytic degradation is caused by the reaction of polymers with water. This type of degradation is significant in polymers that are used in humid or aquatic environments.

5. Biodegradation

Biodegradation involves the breakdown of polymers by microorganisms. While this can be advantageous for biodegradable plastics, it poses a challenge for conventional plastics that are not designed to degrade in the environment.

III. Factors Influencing Polymer Degradation

Several factors influence the rate and extent of #polymerdegradation:

Temperature: Higher temperatures accelerate the degradation process.

Light Exposure: Prolonged exposure to UV light increases the rate of photo-degradation.

Oxygen: The presence of oxygen facilitates oxidative degradation.

Moisture: Water can promote hydrolytic degradation.

Mechanical Stress: Physical stresses can create micro-cracks, which act as initiation sites for degradation.

Chemical Environment: Exposure to chemicals, such as acids and bases, can catalyze degradation reactions.

source : Plastics Technology