Beyond Omniseal® Blog

Technological advances made in surgical handheld devices in the form of design and fluidics have provided better control and safety for surgeons, ultimately establishing confidence between doctor and patient in critical surgeries. Among this segment of medical devices, ultrasound eye surgery remains one procedure that has benefited from these advancements, namely phacoemulsification cataract eye surgery or phaco for short.

Were you aware that phaco is about 50 years old? Over these five decades, the safety of phaco devices has significantly improved due to hundreds of incremental upgrades. As highly advanced pieces of medical equipment, the devices now offer advanced fluidics, IOP control, and anterior chamber stability. Within the handpiece itself are critical parts that make it even more stable such as Omniseal Solutions’ Omniseal® fluoroelastomer seals, which protect the handpiece electronics and withstand autoclave / sterilization cycles up to 1,000 cycles.

Have you heard the expression, “We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us”?

Imagine life without mobility and the ability to expand our possibilities, connect, dream, communicate, gain knowledge and advance.

At Omniseal Solutions™, we have been powering mobility in many ways through our polymer seals, metal seals, and specialized material solutions such as carbon fiber composites, PTFE and polyimides.

In our last blog post dedicated to manufacturing, we shared exciting news that Omniseal Solutions™ is further expanding capabilities at our Kontich, Belgium site to specifically address advanced polymer needs in two emerging industries - aerospace and life sciences, in addition to supporting the oil and gas industry. Growth in global aerospace is due to increased passenger travel and the race to space while potential has grown in healthcare as a result of increasing aging populations, greater focus on wellness and a digital mindset, overall, in life sciences.

October is a month that is especially close to Omniseal Solutions™ as we and the rest of the world celebrate Manufacturing Day on October 4^th. Typically held every first Friday in October, Manufacturing Day not only highlights the importance of this industry to local, national and global economies but is also used to inspire the next generation of creators. 

What better time to reflect on our promise as a global manufacturing company of going beyond the boundaries of possible in many applications that are key to everyday mobility and wellbeing? We are proud to draw on over 50 years in design, engineering, R&D and manufacturing as well as a global presence of 13 manufacturing facilities (in addition to five in sales and eight in R&D) in 14 countries that are certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS 9100, and/or ISO 16949.

We also cannot think of a better time to make a major announcement about our Kontich site!

More than 100 million Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes, says the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization estimated 422 million people worldwide had the disease in 2014, up from 108 million in 1980. Factors contributing to this growth include rising worldwide geriatric populations and more sedentary lifestyles.

Managing diabetes—with exercise, diet and medication—is a growing challenge for many; however, this challenge can be managed with the right medical equipment such as portable insulin pumps where design and manufacture are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Due to time and expense required to achieve FDA approval and improve precision of insulin delivery, manufacturers are driven to design more advanced insulin pump equipment. Using spring-energized seals is a critical part of this “smart” engineering technology that is powering mobility for end users every day and improving their quality of life.

With the growth in older populations and chronic disorders, the need for surgical procedures is rising, among them microsurgeries—an evolving discipline of surgery that typically deals with very small structures such as blood vessels and nerves or sensitive areas such as tissue and cartilage and performed with the assistance of microscopic and special miniaturized instruments. Since precision and reliability are critical in this type of surgery, technological innovation has led to compact tools, which are enabling smaller incisions to be made, lowering risk of infection and potentially shortening recovery as well as reducing costs over traditional surgeries. 

Choosing the right seal is critical in medical devices, surgical, pharmaceutical, and laboratory diagnostics applications to ensure patient well-being and handle performance requirements and tight tolerance specifications.  Let’s continue on to see what goes into selecting a successful sealing solution in life science applications.