5 Questions for Apple Rubber at Medica/CompaMed 2019

Once again, I find myself wandering the many halls of the Medica and CompaMed trade events. Between checking out the latest and greatest from the medtech elite, discovering new firms displaying their first products at the show, or catching up with those I’ve met before, I took a moment to reach out to representatives at several companies exhibiting at the medical device gathering this year. Hopefully, these questions provide useful information for anyone unable to meet with them at the event or those who are not headed to Germany this year. With that in mind, John Tranquilli, materials manager at Apple Rubber, shared the following insights to help you determine if the firm is a potential services partner for you in 2020 or beyond.
 
Sean Fenske: What technology or service are you emphasizing at Medica/CompaMed this year?
John Tranquilli: We are highlighting our medical micro molding capabilities, from o-rings to custom molded shapes. Apple Rubber specializes in micro rubber seals.
 
Fenske: What’s the most common challenge customers inquire about and how do you address it?
Tranquilli: We are seeing more challenges with quality compliance than with actually molding a part. With new material regulations like EU MDR, companies require more information on compound formulations. Many new qualifications require full IQ/PQ/OQ process validations. Apple Rubber has an entire QC department to provide the necessary documentation.
 
Fenske: If you could give one piece of advice to companies seeking a manufacturing partner before they make a decision, what would it be?
Tranquilli: Make sure they have the full range of abilities required for your project. Supplying a final product is easy, making sure you have the correct QC documentation or engineering support for further development will be a challenge if your rubber molder does not have those departments.
 
Fenske: What are the forces driving medical device manufacturers to seek your technology/services over doing it in-house?
Tranquilli: Our expertise—molding and material science—makes it easier for our customers to meet their goals without having to struggle through bringing molding in-house. With most project engineers offering over 20 years of experience, we can provide insight new molders might not have to make a very successful project. We don’t just provide a final product, we want the final product be able to feed into any automated assembly. We can provide the necessary changes to prototype designs to help easy feeding before parts reach final production.
 
Fenske: In what ways is your company able to aid in getting a product (project) to market faster?
Tranquilli: Apple Rubber has an in-house mold making department. With multiple high-speed CNC machining centers and various other equipment, we produce over 95 percent of our own tooling. This allows us to make and modify tooling quickly. We can turn around new tooling well below the industry standard lead times.
 
Apple Rubber is located at Medica/Compamed in Hall 8B, Booth/Stand F20-3.