Get into the Zone: Medical Parts Processing

The Medical Parts Processing Zone is another new specialized exhibit area at NPE2018, driven by the fast-growing field of medical devices. According to Glenn Anderson, Chairman of NPE2018 and v.p., Strategic Account Development for Milacron, the recent rise in this sector is caused both by an aging population and by advances in technology that open up new possibilities every day for plastics in the medical field.

“There are a lot of single-use medical devices being made from plastic right now,” according to Anderson. “Think of devices like syringes and inhalers. Given the aging population, medical device manufacturing is expected to rise 3% each year until 2023. This zone is meant to display the next generation of plastics that will play a role in this growing industry.”

The Medical Parts Processing Zone lives in a 3,000 net ft² space where attendees can meet the processors and suppliers of the plastics materials used in life-saving medical devices and diagnostic applications.

One exhibitor to expect in this zone is Octex, a provider of injection moldings solutions for manufacturing medical, industrial, and consumer products. “The growing future of our field lies in medical processing,” says John Hoskins, president of Octex. “Everything we do in the medical field pairs with what we already do on the industrial side, so it’s a good fit.”

Hoskins is looking for any attendee who has a hand in the medical parts processing field to stop by this zone, and he says that Octex has something to offer everyone. “We offer the complete package from launch through production for OEMs at big medical companies,” he says. “But we also offer a something unique for Tier I and Tier II suppliers to those OEMs as well. And we’re always there to make new partnerships as well, that’s always an important part of it.”