Clients will often contact us with a design for a converted part and a thought of what material they wish to use for their custom part. However frequently we will hear from someone who has become perplexed by the inability to find an adhesive or fastening solution to address a unique set of circumstances and need our help not only providing the solution but engineering it with them.
Such was the case when we received a call from a well-known provider of medical and surgical products. Their original request was for a neonatal adhesive fastener solution that would securely position an oxygen tube in a baby’s nostril to assist breathing. Key performance objectives included securely affixing the breathing tube and protecting the newborn’s skin from abrasion and irritation during application, removal, and use over an extended period of time.
Thanks to our expertise and extensive background in providing fastening solutions to the healthcare industry and converting expertise, Gleicher can offer a broad array of choices and combinations to achieve the best solution for a unique application. For the life sciences and especially in healthcare applications, 3M offers a wealth of resources, and our long-standing relationship as a 3M Preferred Converter provided the ideal collaboration that resulted in an optimal outcome. Since its initial success, this adhesive “second skin” fastener has also been adapted for the care of patients of all ages.
The different sizes to accommodate different size people created a new challenge. How would the end user differentiate the sizes? Our solution – color code them! For children and adults, we created die-cut parts from 3M single-coated adhesive contact tape in two different sizes and used two different color schemes – red and green – to identify the correct size for fast and accurate selection by nursing staff. A pad of the die cut pieces was covered with a protective sheath that was attached to the pad with a single piece of colored tape. Because this piece of medical-use tape tends to be replaced more than others, we provided a zipper-sealed package for easy access to individual parts while keeping the remaining parts organized and well-protected. Gleicher looked beyond the customer’s initial request asking questions about the end product’s usage allowing us to improve the usability of the end product.
As final components in our response to the customer’s needs, we engineered the packaging to suit their specific needs. We provided labeling for bagging and supplied boxes that allowed the die-cut parts to stand up so they are not laying on top of each other causing damage which could result in the loss of their specific geometry.
From the seemingly simple to the incredibly complex and anything in between, do you have an adhesive or fastening problem that needs a solution?
Whatever it may be, don’t get frustrated. Get Gleicher to convert it for you.
