Bluestar Silicones expanding European medical rubber production

Lyon, France – Bluestar Silicones has allocated dedicated European production capacity for medical-grade high-consistency silicone rubber (HCR), targeting pharmaceutical tubing and fluid-transfer applications.

In a 3 Nov statement, the company said the move would strengthen its manufacturing network and provide additional supply capacity for European healthcare and pharmaceutical customers.

The capacity, said Bluestar, would be dedicated to "platinum-cured polyaddition silicone grades" suitable for extrusion and related tubing processes.

The materials are designed for applications requiring high purity, dimensional stability and mechanical performance, including the handling and transfer of sensitive pharmaceutical products.

The expansion of healthcare manufacturing footprint in Europe will support customers in the pharmaceutical and medical device value chain, said Lisbeth Langsager, regional market manager at Bluestar Silicones.

"This capacity allocation complements our global healthcare manufacturing capabilities and provides additional flexibility to serve the growing demand for medical-grade tubing applications," she added.

According to Bluestar, the initiative involves upgrades to existing industrial-scale manufacturing equipment rather than the construction of new production facilities.

The company said it had undertaken "targeted upgrades and qualification measures" to meet healthcare production requirements.

These include enhanced production controls, dedicated cleaning and validation procedures, and measures to minimise contamination risks when switching between industrial and medical manufacturing.

The materials are also designed to meet healthcare qualification requirements, including biocompatibility assessments and extractables and leachables testing.

The company did not disclose the additional production capacity, investment amount or expected output volumes.