TekniPlex installs new air knife coater

TekniPlex Healthcare, which utilises materials science expertise to help deliver better patient outcomes, is installing a new air knife coater. 

The new infrastructure aims to extend the quality of TekniPlex Healthcare’s precision coated barrier products and add capacity that is needed in the industry. The air knife coater will allow TekniPlex Healthcare to increase its supply of coated Tyvek, heat seal coated reinforced paper, cold seal coated paper and film for various medical device, pharmaceutical and diagnostic applications.

Scheduled to complete validation in Q4 of 2023, the machinery addition is exceedingly well-timed, coming at a crucial confluence of global supply chain challenges, increased demand, and heightened requirements for higher performance barrier solutions. The investment allows TekniPlex Healthcare to stay ahead of the supply and demand curve while further improving product performance.

Chris Qualters, CEO of TekniPlex Healthcare, said: “Our engineered barrier solutions, including our coated Tyvek and coated paper products, have experienced substantial growth in recent years. The state-of-the-art air knife machine will ensure we can meet escalating product demands in the North American market while also allowing us to further expand in other geographies like China, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe.”

TekniPlex Healthcare’s proprietary coating formulations and application technology result in products designed to meet demanding performance and sterilisation requirements. The division’s coated Tyvek combines sterile barrier with breathability, while offering a clean peel and compatibility with a variety of flexible and rigid film materials.

Meanwhile, TekniPlex Healthcare’s coated paper is a solution for an array of breathable and non-breathable medical products, including drapes and gowns, gloves, procedural kits, tubing and syringes. The coated papers offer both clean peel and compatibility with multiple paper grades. TekniPlex Healthcare also produces latex-free, cold-seal options ideal for adhesive bandages and dressings, nasal strips, swab sticks, and certain medical devices.