Precise dosages for medical polymers

PLA, PLGA and related biodegradable polymers are widely used in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Key applications include:

• Resorbable medical devices:
  Sutures, bone plates, screws and temporary implants.
• Controlled release & drug delivery:
  PLGA microspheres, microcapsules, nanoparticles and implants for controlled drug delivery.
• Tissue engineering & other:
  Scaffolds, perforated films, medical membranes and protective coatings.

Material properties such as viscosity, molecular weight, crystallinity and the degradation rate of the polymer are directly influenced by the manufacturing process.

In drug delivery, for example, the polymer (such as the lactide/glycolide ratio in PLGA) determines how quickly an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is released into the body. Consequently, even a small variation in the material flow or temperature has an immediate impact on the quality and efficacy of the end product.

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A gear pump delivers material volumetrically and ensures a highly stable, accurate and virtually pulsation-free flow of material. This is crucial for critical downstream processes such as extrusion, coating, film production or mould filling.

Furthermore, a gear pump can be seamlessly integrated into controlled process systems (dosing → measuring → correcting → reproducing).

Polymer melts often have a high viscosity and are sensitive to thermal and mechanical stress. The gear pumps supplied by Suurmond (including those from MAAG) are designed for:

• Minimal mechanical shear;
• A controlled residence time;
• High volumetric efficiency and optimal temperature control.

This prevents degradation of the polymer chains during transport.

Yes. Not every process involves large tonnages.

In R&D environments, pilot plants and specialised medical applications, expensive raw materials, additives or APIs are often processed in minute quantities.

HNPM and Gather’s micro-gear pumps, in particular, are ideally suited to micro-extrusion, nanolitre dosing, and scaling up from the laboratory stage to production.

Gear pumps can be used flexibly at various stages of the supply chain:

1. After the polymerisation reactor:
   For the controlled discharge of prepolymers, oligomers or final polymers.
2. For extrusion:
   To ensure a constant feed to the extruder or mould.
3. For film, membrane and coating production:
   To ensure a uniform layer thickness and consistent material thickness.
4. For additives & APIs:
   For the extremely precise dosing of liquid components.
5. In R&D and pilot plants:
   To develop processes on a small scale and scale them up safely.

Suurmond looks beyond just pressure and capacity.

When selecting the right dosing and pumping technology (from leading brands such as HNPM, GATHER and MAAG), we analyse the entire process. We take into account the medium, viscosity, process temperature, shear, material compatibility and the required accuracy to ensure seamless process integration.