Month: October 2022

Exclusive white papers, PDFs and videos for all presentation topics now available free of charge

Wiehl, 11 October 2022 – With the BGS Irradiation Service Days (ISDbyBGS), BGS Beta-Gamma-Service hosted a virtual trade fair on radiation sterilization at the end of September for the second time in a row. On 28 September 2022, experts from business, research and associations joined to analyse current trends and industry-specific themes in lectures, discussion forums and guided virtual tours that revolve around the use of beta and gamma rays in the sterilization of products for the medical technology and biotechnology industry. Exclusive white papers, PDFs and videos on all presentation topics may be called up free of charge until August 2023 after registering on our virtual trade fair platform at https://isd22.bgs.eu/.

The discussion panels at this year’s Irradiation Service Days were primarily dedicated to security of supply in the medical device market. Representatives from industry and associations discussed the current problems in the sector such as shortage of raw materials, supply bottlenecks and high bureaucratic hurdles in the transport of Cobalt-60 sources. The experts from BVMed, Ypsomed and BGS agreed that there was sufficient Cobalt-60 to operate the gamma irradiation facilities, but that due to tightened regulations for transportation companies, it could not be imported to Germany at the moment. This situation affected the entire industry in Germany and, at the same time, had an impact on the whole of Europe. Operators of gamma plants had been under pressure for months as a result of lacking reloads of their facilities.

In view of the Cobalt-60 deliveries, there was a consensus that bureaucracy severely disrupted the functioning of supply chains and made it increasingly difficult for providers of sterilization services and medical device manufacturers to remain operationally functional. “If politics does not take action soon, the lacking reloads will result in further capacity loss and continue to aggravate the already strained market supply of sterile medical devices in the coming months,” explained Thomas Oestereich, Distribution Manager at BGS.

The strained situation of sterilization capacities was also reflected in a survey carried out amongst participants of the virtual trade fair. Asked about the biggest challenge concerning the sterilization of their products, 33 percent stated the availability of sterilization capacities, closely followed by too little know-how about sterilization processes in their own companies (30 percent).

For about one year: Material for downloading free of charge

As of today, video recordings are available of all presentations in the virtual trade fair spaces. In addition, a number of exclusive white papers and complementary material can be downloaded free of charge. After registering at https://isd22.bgs.eu/, those interested can access all recordings and material until August 2023.

Exclusive white papers, PDFs and videos for all presentation topics now available free of charge 

Wiehl, 11 October 2022 – With the BGS Irradiation Service Days (ISDbyBGS), BGS Beta-Gamma-Service hosted a virtual trade fair on radiation crosslinking at the end of September for the second time in a row. On 29 September 2022, experts from science and the industry joined to analyse current trends and industry-specific themes in lectures, discussion forums and guided virtual tours that revolve around the use of beta and gamma rays in the crosslinking of plastics. Exclusive white papers, PDFs and videos on all presentation topics may be called up free of charge until August 2023 after registering on our virtual trade fair platform at https://isd22.bgs.eu/. 

Visited by experts from the plastics industry, as well as the automotive, cable, pipe, and hose industry as well as mechanical engineering, the trade fair impressed its visitors in particular with the basic lecture “Crosslinking of thermoplastics and elastomers”. In addition, industry-specific presentations such as “Benefits of radiation crosslinking for automotive applications” and “Second source crosslinking of continuous products” convincingly illustrated the advantages of crosslinked plastics for numerous applications. Discussions about the basics, applications, plant technology, and process technology of radiation crosslinking revealed the high degree of knowledge among the participants who joined the live conferences.

Particularly well attended were the short impulses of experts from the University of Aalen, the Institute of Polymer Technology and Ascend Performance Materials on the future of radiation crosslinking. The lecture topics on recycling of radiation crosslinked polyamides, general application-related potentials of radiation crosslinking as well as concrete applications in the electrical industry also provided an introduction to the ongoing R&D projects of BGS with its research partners.

Potential of radiation crosslinking in the property improvements

According to a survey at the BGS Irradiation Service Days, two-thirds of the participants regard the largest potentials of radiation crosslinking in the property improvements of their products. At the same time, over half of those questioned said that they are not yet currently using the technology. “Transfer of knowledge and the personal exchange with customers as well as specialists in research facilities were in the foreground at this year’s BGS Irradiation Service Days. Together with our partners, we actively raise awareness about the benefits of radiation crosslinked plastics,” explained Managing Director of BGS, Dr. Andreas Ostrowicki.

For about one year: Material for downloading free of charge

As of today, video recordings are available of all presentations in the virtual trade fair spaces. In addition, a number of exclusive white papers and complementary material can be downloaded free of charge. After registering at https://isd22.bgs.eu/, those interested can access all recordings and material until August 2023.