Freudenberg Medical launches LUBRITEQ hydrophilic coating platform for medical devices

Freudenberg Medical has launched LUBRITEQ, a new hydrophilic coating platform for medical devices that combines surface chemistry with development and manufacturing services. The company said the offering is now available globally and is designed to help customers move coated devices from feasibility into production with fewer handoffs.

A single-step coating built for polymers and metals

The company describes LUBRITEQ as an advanced, UV-curable, single-step hydrophilic coating intended for a wide range of medical device applications and both polymer and metal substrates. Freudenberg Medical says the coating is engineered for high lubricity, durability, uniformity and low particulate levels, with customization available to match device-specific requirements.

The launch matters because hydrophilic coatings are often judged not only by surface performance but also by how reliably they can be transferred into manufacturing. Freudenberg Medical is positioning the new platform as a process-ready option rather than a laboratory material, with compatibility claims tied to commonly used medical device materials.

Two-week feasibility work and manufacturing support

Alongside the coating itself, Freudenberg Medical is offering a service package that runs from early feasibility through commercial production. The company says initial feasibility work can be turned around in two weeks, with options for coating customization, process transfer to the customer, or contract coating support across its global site network.

That model is aimed at reducing the coordination burden that can slow medical device launches, particularly when coating development, device design and scale-up sit with different suppliers. Freudenberg Medical said the approach is meant to lower program risk and shorten development timelines.

Why the launch is commercially relevant now

Freudenberg Medical has more than 25 years of coating experience and said it already supports more than one million medical devices each year with functional surface coatings. By packaging a new hydrophilic platform with a clearer commercial structure, the company is signaling that coating supply is increasingly being sold as an integrated technical service, not just a material specification.

The company also said LUBRITEQ is being offered without royalties, fixed annual fees or regulatory file access fees. For device makers under pressure to control launch costs and reduce supplier complexity, that kind of commercial structure can be as important as the coating chemistry itself.

Freudenberg Medical introduced LUBRITEQ at MD&M West, where the company said it is presenting the platform as part of a broader push to align coating performance, manufacturing support and program economics in one package.