ALPHARETTA, Ga., September 5, 2013 – Solvay Specialty Polymers, a leading global supplier of high-performance thermoplastics for implantable and non-implantable medical devices, has announced its participation in the 4th China International Medical Device Regulatory Forum (CIMDR) scheduled Sept. 11-13 in X’ian, China. The company will exhibit at the event and Solvay Specialty Polymers’ Shawn Shorrock, Global Market Manager for Healthcare and Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, will deliver a technical presentation on high-performance medical polymers offered for use in implantable and non-implantable applications.
Solvay also announced that Dr. Maureen Reitman, a Principal and the Director of the Polymer Science and Materials Chemistry Practice at Exponent Inc., an international engineering and scientific consulting firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., will give a structure-property overview on polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin for medical device uses.
Shorrock earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She joined Solvay in 2000 and has worked in the medical market since 2004. In 2007, she led Solvay Specialty Polymers’ entrance into the biomaterials market with the launch of Solviva® Biomaterials. In her role with Solvay, she works closely with customers as well as testing agencies, regulatory bodies, and all other aspects of the supply chain to support the use of polymers in demanding healthcare applications.
Dr. Reitman will discuss the similarities and differences in properties of commercially available PEEK resins used in the manufacture of medical devices with an emphasis on the effect of processing, synthetic route, and thermal history on their structure and properties. This structure-property overview will offer broader perspective and a clear understanding of the expected performance of commercially-relevant PEEK resins.
“CIMDR provides an opportunity to speak to a global audience about the structure-property relationship of commercially available medical PEEK resins in a way that will not only increase their footprint in medical applications, but will also facilitate the adoption of these novel materials to highly specialized uses,” said Dr. Reitman.
As a consultant at Exponent, Reitman assist clients with the development, evaluation, and improvement of products and processes that involve plastics, rubbers, and other polymeric materials. Reitman earned her bachelor of science in material science and engineering and her doctor of science in polymer science and technology at MIT. She worked in both product and technology development at 3M as a researchers, inventor, and manager of a division materials laboratory before joining Exponent. Reitman is experienced in major aspects of product development, including materials selection, end-use testing, service life prediction, failure analysis, certification procedures, and intellectual property. She recently authored a chapter in the PEEK Biomaterials Handbook entitled “Morphology and Crystalline Architecture of Polyarylketones.”
The CIMDR conference, organized by the China Center for Pharmaceutical International Exchange (CCPIE), seeks to boost communications between companies and governments as well as among companies themselves, and drive the application of new technical standards and technological achievements to further improve safety and effectiveness of medical devices.
About Exponent Inc.
Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) is an engineering and scientific consulting firm providing solutions to complex problems. Exponent's multidisciplinary organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and business consultants brings together more than 90 technical disciplines to address complicated issues facing industry and government today. The firm has been best known for analyzing accidents and failures to determine their causes, but in recent years it has become more active in assisting clients with human health, environmental and engineering issues associated with new products to help prevent problems in the future. More than 900 staff members work in 25 offices around the world, including locations in the U.S., Europe, and China. Exponent is certified to ISO 9001.
About Solvay Specialty Polymers
Solvay Specialty Polymers is a leading global supplier of high-performance thermoplastics for implantable and non-implantable medical devices. The company has expanded its focus on the healthcare industry to meet the growing needs of its global customers. Solvay is building on its 20-year history as a key material supplier in the healthcare field, devoting considerable new resources to help customers be more efficient and cut costs. Metal-to-plastic replacement remains a key focus for manufacturers, but increased cost pressures pose a new challenge as the market continues to grow at a double-digit pace. Solvay also continues to devote considerable research and development activities to polymer technology and commercialization of new and unique material options for medical OEMs and processors.
Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactures over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds – for use in Aerospace, Alternative Energy, Automotive, Healthcare, Membranes, Oil and Gas, Packaging, Plumbing, Semiconductors, Wire and Cable, and other industries. Learn more atwww.solvay.com.
As an international chemical group, SOLVAY assists industries in finding and implementing ever more responsible and value-creating solutions. Solvay generates 90% of its net sales in activities where it is among the world's top three players. It serves many markets, varying from energy and the environment to automotive and aerospace or electricity and electronics, with one goal: to raise the performance of its clients and improve society's quality of life. The group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 29,400 people in 56 countries and generated 9.9 billion euros in net sales in 2013. Solvay SA is listed as SOLB.BE on NYSE Euronext in Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB:BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR).
