G. Heinemann Medizintechnik GmbH Leading supplier of ENT medical technology relies on antibacterial Steriface powder coatings

The treatment units and cabinets as well as the equipment trolleys are made of a sturdy, electrolytically galvanized quality sheet steel housing with a double-walled body including sound insulation. “Our focus is generally on high quality. Unlike the competition, we do not rely on plastic, but deliberately on sheet steel. Our customers trust our quality and individual advice. ‘Made in Germany’ is a very good selling point internationally,” explains Frank Spillner, Managing Director of G. Heinemann Medizintechnik. “Therefore, it is important to us that everything is made in Germany.” This claim also applies to the powder coating with antimicrobial properties with which G. Heinemann Medizintechnik has the treatment units it manufactures itself equipped in paid contract coating. This was changed to the Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 in 2021.

Only a short time after the initial non-committal discussion between G. Heinemann Medizintechnik and Brillux Industrial Coatings, it emerged that the coating material used by Heinemann was no longer allowed to be advertised as antibacterial, so the manufacturer suddenly and unexpectedly withdrew the product from the market. “German certification is an indispensable requirement for us,” says Frank Spillner. “Since contact had already been made, we decided without further ado to try out the products from Brillux Industrial Coatings.” The delivery of a sample quantity of the fine-textured hybrid powder coating Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 followed, with which the contract coaters commissioned by G. Heinemann Medizintechnik carried out the first coatings and immediately achieved the desired results.

Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 is characterized by good corrosion protection properties, high resistance to disinfectants and good mechanical values. In addition to these primary functional properties, Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 provides effective and permanent protection against bacteria and fungi. The powder coating based on polyester and epoxy resin has approval and test certificates from the recognized testing laboratory for medical products QualityLabs (testing according to ISO 22196-2007) to confirm its good antimicrobial effect: Even after the intensive, long-term cleaning simulated in the laboratory test, Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 achieves a log reduction > 4.

“Another advantage of Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 is that the powder coating can be produced and delivered within 11 days,” says Daniel Piontek, Head of Procurement at G. Heinemann Medical Technology. “In contrast, the previous manufacturer had a delivery time of 4 weeks." Powder coating plays a key role in the manufacturing process, as all units, side panels, drawers and work surfaces of the ENT workstations are coated.

The majority of the electrolytically galvanized quality steel sheet housings receive iron phosphating as a pretreatment. In the case of more complex housing structures, degreasing is carried out by hand before coating. Subsequently, the fine-structured Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 is applied using the corona method according to the stoving conditions.

The fact that Brillux Industrial Coatings trains the contract coaters on the Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 product, which is new to them, was also met with a positive response at G. Heinemann Medizintechnik. “Our goal is for different contract coaters to achieve identical coating results,” explains Jan Werges, sales consultant at Brillux Industrial Coatings. “We are currently recording the status quo of the coating in terms of adhesion, corrosion protection and disinfectant resistance. Together, we are currently developing painting specifications in which the decisive parameters of the pretreatment and the painting process are precisely defined with all details, e.g. information on the layer thickness in which the top coat is to be applied.”

In addition to its functional properties and effective, long-lasting protection against bacteria and fungi, Steriface Powder EP/PE 5684 also fulfills the task of decorative design. “Customers can design the appearance of their treatment unit themselves by individually selecting the colors of all components from the total of 19 different RAL color shades available as standard colors. Especially in CIS countries, according to Frank Spillner's experience, people look first at the design, then at the specifications and the price. The new Modula treatment unit recently developed by G. Heinemann Medizintechnik has a particularly minimalist, reduced design. “With Modula, all materials and details are designed to create a highly hygienic device. For its outstanding ergonomic design, Modula received the prestigious iF Design Award 2018 in the medical device category. We are naturally very pleased about this award. Heinemann will continue to rely on Brillux Industrial Coatings and Steriface for future projects and challenges,” says Frank Spillner.