Medical Device Coatings Blog

Gordon Urquhart and Byron Salvatierra (L-R) in Orion and SSG's engineering technology lab.

Intern to Engineer – Investing in Young Manufacturing Engineering Careers

Surface Solutions Group (SSG) and our sister company Orion Industries are obsessed with quality. Our work impacts the lives of real people – our customers, their customers, and ultimately the end users. We are engineering-focused – we solve problems from the root cause and invest in innovative technologies to continuously improve. We also invest in…

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Food & Drug Administration building

FDA Ruling on the Use of PFAS in Medical Devices

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has recently ruled on the use of PFAS in medical devices, stating that there is “no conclusive evidence of patient health issues associated with PTFE as a material.” PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – have garnered intense public scrutiny in recent years. With evolving regulation and heightened…

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SSG's New Automated Medical Device Coating Production Line

Surface Solutions Group Expands its Automated Medical Device Coating Capacity

CHICAGO, May 14, 2025 – Surface Solutions Group, LLC (SSG), a leading provider of proven medical device coating technologies, has expanded its production capacity with the addition of a new automated electrostatic robotic coating line. This latest investment brings SSG’s total to 30 coating lines – 12 automated electrostatic robotic lines, 8 automated dip lines,…

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Medical regulations for functional medical coatings computer screen

Functional Medical Coatings: 2024’s Game Changer and the Road Ahead

The medtech industry is no stranger to innovation and adaptation, but 2024 brought significant shifts in functional medical coatings that will undoubtedly shape its future. The spotlight fell on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of chemicals integral to medical coatings but increasingly scrutinized for environmental and health concerns. As regulatory pressures mount, the…

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Myths vs Facts word blocks

Myths vs Facts: PTFE, PFAS and the Drive for PTFE-Free Medical Coatings

Fluoropolymers are used nearly everywhere, in almost every major manufacturing sector. Those of us who formulate and apply the coatings, and our medical device manufacturing customers, understand the unique benefits they bring to everyday life, but most others do not. They have come under fire for allegedly causing harm to people and the environment.  In…

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Cook Medical Procurement gives Supplier of the Year Award to SSG

SURFACE SOLUTIONS GROUP HONORED AS COOK MEDICAL SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

Surface Solutions Group (SSG) is proud to announce that we have been awarded Cook Medical’s (Cook) prestigious Supplier of the Year for Direct Excellence in Innovation. This recognition highlights our longstanding partnership and mutual commitment to advancing the medical device industry through continuous innovation. Juan Cortes, Cook Medical Direct Category Procurement, announced SSG’s selection at…

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GlideMed PTFE-free coating, Coated Medical Wires

Anatomy of Developing a New Sustainable, Compliant PTFE-Free Coating

What goes into developing coatings for medical devices? What drives the process? Understanding the factors that motivate manufacturers to seek out new and better coatings – such as our new GlideMed™ PTFE-free coating – and the processes that bring them to fruition can help medical device manufacturers and design engineers appreciate the big picture. Many…

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Dry (solid) Lubricants

Answering Your Common Medical Device Coating Questions

With more than six decades of coating expertise, the Surface Solutions Group team is often asked questions about our medical grade coatings and their application to a variety of medical devices and components. Here are the answers to some of the more common medical device coating questions. Q: What is PTFE coating? A: PTFE, or Polytetrafluoroethylene,…

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GlideMed™ sustainable, compliant medical device coating

SSG to Introduce Sustainable, Compliant GlideMed™ Medical Device Coating at MD&M Minneapolis

CHICAGO, September 26, 2023 – ISO 13485 certified Surface Solutions Group, LLC, (SSG) a leading provider of coating technologies for the medical device industry, today announced that it will be showcasing its GlideMed™ sustainable, compliant coating along with its 12 other coating solutions in Booth #3226 at the Medical Design & Manufacturing Conference & Expo…

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ISO 13485:2016 Icon

SSG Completes ISO 13485:2016 Audit with Zero-Findings, 3 Years in a Row!

As an ISO 13485:2016 certified company, Surface Solutions Group strives to constantly meet or exceed our customer’s requirements in quality, service and delivery. We monitor and maintain all of these and other critical operational statistics daily. SSG participates in routine Quality Management System audits, independently conducted by NSF ISR.  The last audit concluded on July…

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George Osterhout & Kevin Hess headshots

SSG Announces Retirement of George Osterhout, Welcomes Kevin Hess to Lead Company

CHICAGO, June 30, 2023 – Surface Solutions Group, LLC (SSG), a leader in the applied medical device functional coatings industry, today announced the retirement of George Osterhout, the esteemed president and visionary leader of SSG and its sister companies Orion Industries, Ltd. (Orion) and Dimension Bond, Inc. (DB), and the appointment of Kevin Hess as…

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Reel-to-Reel Continuous Wire

Advantages of Coating Reel-to-Reel, Continuous Wire

For medical OEMs in need of precision application of coatings for reel-to-reel, continuous wire, Surface Solutions Group (SSG) has the experience, know-how and equipment to make it happen. Whether the application involves continuous round wire, tubing, or cables, our team takes care to apply Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coatings to reel-to-reel wires at 0.0001- 0.0003 inches per…

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