Formacoat is a biomedical device company, specialising in contract manufacturing for the application of hydrophilic and hydrophobic coatings.
Custom coating for catheters, balloons, guide wires and films
Formacoat’s commercial device coating expertise provides excellent quality, a range of coating selections and affordable prices.
Core device capabilities include coating catheters, introducers, guide wires and components, including balloons, tubing and wire.
Options for devices include reel to reel, spool to spool film, foam or screen mesh applications that benefit from a medical device coating.
The company can coat challenging devices with complex shapes and geometries, and is developing new capabilities in microfluidics.
Formacoat provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for a wide range of coating technologies for various applications from different coating vendors. This streamlines the R&D process of sample production and analysis and determines the best coating.
Various coatings are offered for medical devices, including lubricious, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, non-thrombogenic (anti-clotting), antimicrobial, and several classes of orthopedic industry metal treatments and ceramic coatings.
The company chooses from different vendors the best coating options, while accumulating knowledge and experience with device and medical applications, which streamlines the selection and R&D path to validated production.
Lubricious hydrophilic hydrogel coatings for medical devices
Formacoat has lubricious hydrophilic coatings available with both UV and thermal cures with several different brands.
Since all coatings are not ideal in every circumstance, different coatings and chemistries, coupled with an array of surface treatment preparations, including multi-gas plasma, provide flexible properties to suit a range of devices.
Specialised coatings for medical devices
Formacoat addresses specialised needs through custom and specialty coatings. Other coatings include nano and micro-coatings, which are all thinner than lubricious hydrogel coatings, but are not lubricious.
Non-lubricious coatings include hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic coatings, as well as a range of hydrophilic coatings such as super-hydrophilic, ceramic nano and inorganic coatings.
Hydrophilic coatings are much thinner than swelling lubricious hydrogel coatings. The company also has several different technologies for non-thrombogenic heparin coatings.
Low-temperature annealing hydrophobic coatings for medical devices
Lubricious PTFE-based hydrophobic coatings are available in low-temperature curing varieties, which can be important for nitinol products and can also be useful in polymer applications.
Nano-hydrophilic and micro-hydrophilic coatings for reduced contact angles
Nano-hydrophilic and micro hydrophilic coatings do not swell on contact with water, as they are not lubricious, but can reduce the contact angle for specialised needs.
Nano-hydrophilic plasma deposited nano-thickness coatings work on metal alloys and are extremely durable.
Inorganic hydrophilic nano-thickness coatings are extremely durable for some products.
The company’s experience and expertise with coating standard medical device products in routine large-scale production provides a strong base for challenging and specialised applications.
Lubricity testing for comparing different coatings
Formacoat offers functional lubricity (pinch) testing to compare and contrast different coatings. Where no coating is applicable for client needs, custom formulated coatings are available.
After process, product development and validation are completed, Formacoat performs commercial coating for its clients to ensure R&D and validation programmes work with the team that will undertake commercial production.
Formacoat’s expertise during development and production can help to find issues with uncoated parts and provides added value to contract manufacturers conducting primary device construction.
For situations where coating is the final step, contract packaging and labelling is also available. The company can streamline the entire process of medical device coating.
The company ensures projects run smoothly and faster through its service ‘Making the Tools of Medicine Run Smoother’.
The company provides:
- Films of up to 17in wide
- Micro, drug delivery and stent delivery system catheters
- Embolic capture devices
- Component level materials
- Hypo tubes
- Microwell plates
- In-vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices
- Intraocular lenses (IOL) insertion cartridges