Following the retirement of Colin Tirel, on 1 December 2025 Steve Thomson, who has worked in the plastics industry since 1991, became managing director of Arburg Ltd. in Warwick. The new head is to support the development of the company's activities in the UK and Irish markets.
As of 1 January 2026, Ben Mechelmans becomes managing director of the Belgian company Arburg N.V. His goal is to further strengthen the company's market position, with a focus on automation, turnkey solutions and digitalisation.
At MD&M West 2026, SABIC presented medical thermoplastics, including new polycarbonate copolymers and biocompatible Siltem HU materials as potential fluoropolymer replacements in medical tubing, as well as support for rapid application development.
ATS Life Sciences Systems and Kistler have developed an automated medical device assembly line based on the Symphoni platform, combining digitally synchronous motion with real-time force and displacement measurement.
Dr. Boy and its Italian partner ST.A.TE Technologies will present the fully electric Boy 80 Electric injection moulding machine at Mecspe 2026 in Bologna, demonstrating the production of blood filters for medical applications.
Südpack Medica has launched the MedHub service, enabling the ordering of standard, pre-made medical pouches from stock in defined batches, manufactured in cleanrooms and meeting the quality requirements of the healthcare sector.
SABIC has introduced LNP ELCRES NPCRX9612U, the first fluorine-free, PFAS-free polycarbonate copolymer with UL746G certification, offering chemical resistance and UL94 V0 flame retardance at 1.5 mm for thin-wall medical applications.
At Plastec West 2026 in Anaheim, Arburg will introduce its new Allrounder Trend electric injection moulding machine concept to the US market, focusing on fast setup, easy operation and integrated automation and digitalisation.
At Plast Eurasia 2025 in Istanbul, ENGEL will present two all‑electric injection moulding machines for packaging and medical applications, highlighting energy efficiency, process stability and compact production cells.
At Compamed 2025, Wacker will showcase Silpuran eco 2114, a biomethanol-based silicone gel for skin adhesives, alongside new findings on transdermal delivery and Elastosil grades for pharmaceutical tubing.
Kistler has introduced the NCFQ 2166A high-speed joining system, combining a LinMot linear module with piezoelectric force and acceleration sensing. The turnkey setup targets precise, high-throughput assembly in medical, electronics, semiconductor and automotive applications.
"Level Up! Your Advantage" - the Haitian Group presented at K 2025 in Düsseldorf a new generation of machines and solutions combining productivity, flexibility and digital intelligence.
