Key Takeaways from MD&M Midwest: Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Medical Device Innovation

This past week was the 30th year of MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This show continues to be one of the industry’s most influential events, bringing together leading engineers, designers, and manufacturers to discuss the latest advancements driving medical device innovation. This year, three key topics stood out among the conversations on the show floor: Polymer Stent Coverings, Ultra Polyimide, and Surgical Navigation. 

Each represents a growing area of focus for OEMs looking to advance minimally invasive therapies, improve patient outcomes, and accelerate device development timelines. Below, we explore what’s driving interest in these technologies and how Confluent Medical Technologies is helping partners bring them to market. 

1. Polymer Stent Coverings: Expanding the Performance of Vascular Devices
   Polymer stent coverings are thin, biocompatible coatings or encapsulations applied to metallic stents. These coverings enhance functionality, improving biocompatibility, preventing tissue ingrowth, and providing drug-eluting capabilities for targeted therapeutic delivery.

As vascular and endovascular devices continue to evolve toward smaller, more complex geometries, manufacturers are seeking ways to extend performance and control biological interactions. Polymer coverings enable engineers to tailor surface characteristics and add unique properties that enhance patient outcomes. 

Confluent supports OEMs through comprehensive polymer coating and covering capabilities, including expanded PTFE (ePTFE) coating, thermoplastic urethane (TPU) coating, and polymer laser cutting. PTFE is a high-tensile strength, biocompatible polymer used in a wide variety of applications, and thermoplastic urethanes (TPUs) are one of the most common materials used for medical device coverings.  

In addition, Confluent has partnered with The Electrospinning Company to provide sutureless attachments of textiles to a device frame. Eliminating the need for sewing and manual assembly reduces the cycle times and cost. The process includes a fiber production method that uses electric fields to draw charged threads of polymer solutions into fiber diameters on the order of hundreds of nanometers. 

Confluent’s vertically integrated approach, combined with deep materials science expertise, ensures consistency, scalability, and precision for even the most demanding stent designs. Whether it’s integrating polymer coverings with Nitinol frameworks or optimizing adhesion and performance, Confluent delivers a seamless path from prototype to production. 

2. Ultra Polyimide: Redefining Strength in Medical Device Tubing

Traditional Polyimide is a high-performance polymer known for its exceptional thermal stability, mechanical strength, and ultra-thin wall capabilities. It’s increasingly used in catheter-based devices and minimally invasive systems where strength and durability are critical. 

As catheter-based interventions grow more complex, device engineers require materials that can maintain performance at smaller diameters without compromising strength or inner lumen space.  

Confluent’s Ultra Polyimide offers nearly double the strength of traditional polyimide without limiting the real estate inside the tube. Ultra Polyimide will allow design teams to reduce the amount of material needed in a new medical device while providing the same column and/or tensile strength required for the application. This solution allows customers greater flexibility to address other design constraints by creating additional space within the device.  

3. Surgical Navigation: Enabling Precision Through Advanced Materials and Integration

Surgical navigation technologies provide real-time visualization and guidance to enhance accuracy during minimally invasive or robotic-assisted procedures. These systems rely on precision-engineered components, sensors, and biocompatible materials that can integrate seamlessly with electronic and imaging systems. 

The push toward greater surgical precision and patient safety is fueling rapid innovation in navigation-enabled devices. OEMs are seeking partners that can deliver not only the right materials, but also the precision manufacturing and assembly expertise to ensure reliability and miniaturization in these complex systems. 

Confluent supports surgical navigation device development through our advanced complex catheter capabilities and flex circuit technologies. Our vertically integrated model allows for tight control over material and process quality, ensuring performance and reliability in mission-critical applications. From prototype development to full-scale production, Confluent empowers OEMs to move faster and more confidently from concept to commercialization. 

Shaping the Future of Minimally Invasive Innovation 

MD&M Midwest showcased a clear trend: the future of medical devices will be defined by advanced materials, precision engineering, and seamless integration across every stage of development. 

At Confluent Medical Technologies, we’re proud to partner with leading OEMs to turn these innovations into reality, leveraging our materials science expertise, vertically integrated supply chain, and commitment to quality to bring current and future devices to market. 

Let’s start the conversation. 
Discover how Confluent Medical Technologies can help you accelerate your next device innovation. Email sales@confluentmedical.com to learn more.