Manufacturing awards: FLEXcon’s new adhesive seeks to change the medical device paradigm

Photo | courtesy of FLEXcon Co., Inc Pam Fitzgerald works at the FLEXcon facility in Spencer.

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By Kevin Koczwara

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With each new innovation in research and technology comes a new problem in need of a solution.

With medical devices it’s even more prevalent. Sometimes the answer can be found in research done for a different field.

That’s what happened with FLEXcon Co., Inc.’s OMNI-WAVE technology, which came out of research for batteries and is now being implemented by medical device companies as a way to replace hydrogel, the moist and sticky backing used to attach EKG and ECG devices to patients.

“OMNI-WAVE is a disruptive healthcare innovation that yields substantial cost savings for medical electrode and device manufacturers, and provides a better overall experience for patients,” Aditi Subramanian, the healthcare business unit manager at FLEXcon, said via email.

OMNI-WAVE is a new conductive adhesive that is not moisture dependent. The technology will help patients who develop rashes from hydrogels while making ECG and EKG machines more accurate. OMNI-WAVE removes the moisture barrier and requires less packaging.

“OMNI-WAVE started 20 years ago,” Subramanian said.

With the technology now firmly in hand, FLEXcon is partnering with large medical device and electrode companies to replace hydrogels.

“This revolutionary biosensing technology was developed with patient comfort in mind. It has been awarded more than 100 patents worldwide and is ready to change the medical electrode paradigm,” Subramanian said.

FLEXcon isn’t stopping at medical devices, though, as the company is exploring using the technology with wearable devices and sports devices. This is in line with the company’s 67-year history of serving as a development partner with engineers and designers to bring innovative ideas from concept to reality, which it has done over the years with markets including transportation, electronics, industrial, health care, construction and energy, with a focus on improving human lives through emerging technology.

FLEXcon was started by Chairman Neil McDonough’s father Myles in a Spencer garage in 1956. Now, the company is a global manufacturer of pressure-sensitive film products with facilities in Spencer as well as Columbus, Nebraska, and Glenrothes, Scotland. The company employs more than 700 people and has established itself as a leader in the field of coated and laminated films, and adhesives. The company has surpassed more than $300 million annual sales.

With the OMNI-WAVE as one of the company’s latest research developments, the company has clearly honored its innovative past while setting itself up for a bright future.

2023 Manufacturing Excellence Awards