��AV Press

From wound care to wearables

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0100

At the Compamed Medica Trade Fair from 12 to 15 November in Düsseldorf, ��AV will present innovative solutions for medical care. At Stand H30 in Hall 8b, visitors can obtain information about innovative wound care solutions – from low-trauma adhesives to highly absorbent foams and breathable protective films. The company will also be presenting integrative solutions for medical devices and wearables.

Holistic solutions for wound care
��AV offers holistic material solutions for all layers of modern wound dressings. Polyurethane adhesive components from the Baymedix^® A range are characterized by excellent breathability – an important prerequisite for moisture management in advanced wound dressings. The adhesive system can also be easily removed from the skin without sticking to the hair (low trauma).

��AV Baymedix^® FP also provides polyurethane raw materials for foams with excellent absorption and retention properties. By directly coating the carrier film with the adhesive system or foam, process and laminating steps can also be saved in production which increases efficiency. Special thermoplastic polyurethane films (TPU) from the Platilon^® range with a particularly mat surface round off the range.

Seamless films for medical gloves
Aqueous polyurethane dispersions of the Baymedix^® CD range were specially developed for use in latex-free, highly elastic films. Their outstanding mechanical stability makes them an excellent starting material for seamless medical gloves. Such films can be produced both in the dipping process and in the efficient roll-to-roll process.

Better wearing comfort through skin-friendly wearables
Wearable electronic patch devices are already being used in a variety of medical applications, including monitoring, diagnostics and drug delivery. They help patients gain greater mobility. The wearables must be worn on the skin around the clock for a prolonged period of time so they need to be particularly kind to the skin, comfortable, but also adhere firmly to the skin. Among other things, ��AV has developed special breathable TPU films from the Platilon^® range for this purpose.

The company also supports customers in the manufacturing with a process that allows wearables to be efficiently produced from roll to roll. The electronic module is fixed to the carrier film in one step and embedded in a thermoformable polyurethane foam that is fed onto a second film. The patch is then fixed with a special, skin-friendly adhesive. The adhesive system and thermoformable foam are based on Baymedix^® polyurethane raw materials. With this ��AV offers a complete solution for modern and high-quality wearable patch devices.

��AV film expert Gerd Büschel will give a lecture on this application at the Medica Connected Health Forum in Hall 15, Stand C24 on November 13, starting at 3.20 pm. Information: .

About ��AV:
With 2017 sales of EUR 14.1 billion, ��AV 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 sectors 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. ��AV has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) as at the end of 2017.

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Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ��AV. 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 ��AV’s public reports. These reports are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to make them conform to future events or developments.

Concepts for a modern wound care

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0200

The European Wound Management Association Congress – EWMA – from May 9 to 11, 2018 in Krakow, Poland, is all about providing patients with effective wound care and improving their quality of care.

At the accompanying exhibition, ��AV will be presenting material solutions based on the innovative Baymedix^® polyurethane technology, at Booth D406. It enables efficient production of foams, adhesives, films, bandages and medical gloves. A specialty films portfolio from Platilon^® completes the offer. The products open up a broad field of application both in modern wound care and in new wearable patch devices.

Foams based on the product Baymedix^® FP505 are characterized by very good absorption and excellent retention. This allows optimized moisture management.

New non-swelling, thermoformable foam allows fast fluid transport
In addition, at the 2018 EWMA Congress, ��AV will be presenting thermoformable foams made from the Baymedix^® FD103 aqueous dispersion. Thanks to the microporous cell structure, they can quickly transfer fluids without swelling.

The special feature here is that the foams can be applied in thin layers on a carrier material and later molded into shape through heat and pressure.

Portable electronics on the skin
One possible application is the wearable patch. During manufacture, the foam is sealed to the film and a flat electronic circuit is embedded. Consumers use such thin wearable patch devices to measure their body temperature, blood sugar level or heart rate. In sports and leisure they serve to provide fitness data feedback.

The patches offer great market potential, especially for medical diagnostics and treatment of diseases. Thanks to the thin and breathable layer structure and the use of skin friendly adhesives based on Baymedix^® A for fixation ��AV contributes to greater comfort for patients. At the same time, the company uses its experience in medical technology to enable a fast, flexible and cost-efficient production of such composites patches.

About ��AV:
With 2017 sales of EUR 14.1 billion, ��AV 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. ��AV has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2017.

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Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ��AV. 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 ��AV’s public reports which are available at . The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

The car cockpit becomes individual and functional

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0100

The development of film technologies for car interiors has made great progress in recent years. This is confirmed by the lectures to be held at the "Folien+Fahrzeug" conference with an accompanying exhibition on February 6 and 7, 2018 in Hanover, Germany.

"Trends such as autonomous driving, networking and individualization pose entirely new challenges, but also offer great opportunities for the use of polycarbonate and thermoplastic polyurethane films," explains Dirk Pophusen, film specialist at ��AV and technical director of the conference.

Seamlessly integrated 3D displays in large format
The number of displays and touchscreens in car interiors will increase drastically due to the progressing digitization and networking (connectivity) as well as the trend towards autonomous driving. Large-surface, three-dimensional screen designs that can be seamlessly integrated into the surfaces of instrument panels, center consoles, door and seat panels are a current trend.

What is also important is a high-contrast image and clearly legible information – even in adverse lighting conditions. Displays must not reflect light or dazzle (anti-glare). ��AV has developed Makrofol^® HF, a two-stage curable film that can be formed over a large area and is especially suitable for the edging and trimming of such displays. Depending on the optical requirements, they can be adjusted from high gloss to fine matt and are resistant to chemicals and scratches.

Touch displays with a filigree 3D surface are a new application for Makrofol^® films. They enable the driver to control the display and its functions simply by touching them without having to turn their eyes away from the road. This improves road safety.

Versatile possibilities with TPU films
In addition, ��AV will also be presenting the wide range of possible applications for films based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in car interiors. Oliver Hennig, another ��AV film expert, will talk about the role they already play today and what opportunities are opening up for them in this respect in his presentation, "The use of TPU films in vehicles – silent heroes".

Platilon^® TPU films from ��AV are present – although not always visible – in many parts of the car interior, such as textile laminates from roller blinds for sunroofs, as air chambers for lumbar supports of car seats or as foam shrouds for noise reduction components.

Decorative and lighting effects with flexible electronics
A new promising application is the so-called "flexible electronics". The elastic TPU films are equipped by film processors with electronic functions such as traces or sensor elements. "LEDs can also be integrated. The resulting film build-ups can be formed into geometrically highly complex decorative parts that provide lighting effects," says Hennig.

Flexible electronics based on TPU films could be used in electric vehicles for panel heating of large surface areas in car interiors and could replace the expensive exhaust air heating of traditional combustion engines. Hennig: "With their extreme flexibility and good adhesion to textiles, TPU films offer the best prerequisites for integrating the required conductor path electronics into door panels, for example."

About ��AV:
With 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion, ��AV 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. ��AV has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 15,600 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2016.

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Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ��AV. 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 ��AV’s public reports which are available at . The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Competent partner for medical technology

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0200

At Compamed 2017 in Düsseldorf, Germany, ��AV will be presenting itself as a key supplier of raw materials and partner to the medical technology sector. One focus of booth H30 in Hall 8b will be on Baymedix^® polyurethane raw materials for state-of-the-art wound care. These materials are breathable and enable optimal moisture management in wound dressings in addition to offering design options. Customers can create added value through innovation and differentiation, thus increasing their competitiveness.

These raw materials are used, for example, in absorbent foams manufactured from Baymedix^® FP, adhesives with skin contact made of Baymedix^® A and films based on the waterborne products Baymedix^® FD and CD. Directly coating the film with adhesive or foam decreases the number of laminating steps, and optimized drying times ensure efficiency in production. The processes are also sustainable because waste is reduced and solvents are not used.

Polycarbonates for a wide range of requirements
The polycarbonate Makrolon^® has long proven itself in the medical technology field. Its balanced properties – such as exceptional transparency and impact resistance – make it a safe and durable material for housing components.

Several variants of this material have also passed biocompatibility tests, as required for such applications, and thus meet the criteria of ISO 10993-1. Together with the polycarbonate Apec^®, which is stable at high temperatures, Makrolon^® medical technology products are suitable for various forms of sterilization.

Wearables with intelligence and comfort
Digitalization is now common in many areas of medical technology. For example, one important trend is the use of wearables – small electronic devices that are affixed to the skin like a patch, providing support for consumers participating in sports and leisure activities or treating medical conditions. In view of their enormous market potential, Compamed is presenting these devices separately at booth A23 in Hall 15.

There, ��AV will showcase integrated and sustainable materials solutions that increase the comfort of electronic patches and provide additional areas of application. In addition to standard functions, such as measuring heart rate, in the future they will also help with medical diagnoses and treatments and deliver medications in accurate dosages. This would require them to remain on the skin for extended periods and be comfortable to wear. With the help of an intelligent combination of materials, ��AV is able to produce wearables that cling gently to the skin, and are also breathable and hypoallergenic.

Versatile TPU films
Platilon^® TPU blown film is sought after in medical applications, due to its comfort, e.g. breathability, stretch, soft haptics, hypoallergenics, design (e.g. printable, colors) and customisation to fit the converter’s production process, e.g. thickness range, tailored carriers and release force. Additional functionality includes low melting (95-105 deg C) or water vapor barrier.

About ��AV:
With 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion, ��AV 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. ��AV has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 15,600 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2016.

Find more information at .

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ��AV. 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 ��AV's public reports, which are available on the ��AV website at . The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

����AV Press

From wound care to wearables

Concepts for a modern wound care

The car cockpit becomes individual and functional

Competent partner for medical technology

��AV Press