Medical Laminating Services: Selecting the Right Materials

When there’s no one right material for the job, it’s up to manufacturers to create one. Medical laminating, a subset of industrial laminating services, enables medical device and product manufacturers to enhance the properties of their products by combining two or more materials, ultimately creating a stronger, safer product.

This post provides an overview of medical laminating services and what you need to know before talking to a contract manufacturer about your project.

What is medical laminating?

Laminating is the process of combining multiple layers of material together to form a single composite material. The laminating process involves bonding two or more layers of material using either heat, pressure, or an adhesive. It is used in a variety of industries, including the medical industry, to protect and strengthen components that are exposed to extensive use or high temperatures, such as during the sterilization process.

Medical laminating services are commonly used in the production of orthopedic medical devices, like knee and hips pads, medical packaging and medical insoles. By using medical laminating for these products, it makes them more resistant to wear and tear.

Types of materials for laminating

To fuse materials together to reach the desired width and thickness, Janco uses a flame laminator, fusing the material together with heat, or a pressure laminator that uses high-quality adhesives and physical pressure to bond the materials.

The types of laminating bonding include:

• Adhesive foam laminating
• Poron to poron microcellular urethanes foam laminating
• Fabric to foam laminating
• Films to foam laminating
• Foam to foam lamination

Janco uses a wide range of materials in its lamination processes, including:

• Multi-ply foam lamination
• Open-cell and closed-cell foam
• Lycra
• Polyester nylon
• Non-wovens
• Denier knits
• Warped knits
• Cordura

Cleanroom requirements for medical devices

The cleanroom is the final step in processing any product that uses medical laminating services. Because these products will be used in medical offices, operating rooms and to perform life-changing medical procedures, we hold ourselves to the highest standards. We also undergo regular third-party inspection and review to ensure we meet federal regulations.

All our cleanrooms are ISO 14644-1 Class 7 and Class 8 certified. In addition, our medical manufacturing facilities are FDA registered and ISO 13485 certified.

Beyond laminating services

While we contract with companies as a medical laminating service, manufacturers often require additional services to complete their projects. This includes:

• Die cutting to create components of the end product.
• Adding Velcro to the end product.
• Stitching to finish the end product.

Choosing the right laminating service vendor

When looking for the right vendor for your laminating services, look for a company that can provide a wide range of laminating services, additional services to finish your product, and can offer cleanroom capabilities. It also helps to select a company that offers design capabilities and industry insights to lean on when you need guidance. Janco has 60 years of experience and our skilled team can offer expertise on laminating services and materials.

Want to learn more about how Janco can meet your medical device packaging needs? Reach out today.