Meet Nye - Joe Sahl
Meet Joe Sahl, Nye’s Medical Industry Leader. Joe came to Nye in 2019 with more than 12 years of Engineering experience at prominent metal working, aviation, and medical device companies. Residing in Boston, Joe helps our customers in the Northeast United States find lubricants for demanding and sensitive mechanisms. As the new Medical Industry leader, Joe will investigate new lubrication trends and solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices, and surgical tools. Joe holds a bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
How has the Nye medical team worked to address some of the logistical issues surrounding medical device production during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Nye was able to remain open and operating through the pandemic, which allowed us to continue to serve many of our customers – medical among them – who were deemed essential businesses. Thanks to modern connectivity tools, our medical team was able to continue to virtually support efforts in this market. We’ve also been doing our part to ensure the supply chain for life-saving applications like ventilators remains uninterrupted by fast-tracking them when necessary.
What are the lubrication requirements for ventilators?
Depending on the application, the requirements vary. For plastic/elastomer components, such as valves and seals, it’s crucial that the lubricants be neutral in color, and avoid reacting with polymers like polycarbonate. PFPEs like our NyeMed® 7477 work well in these applications. For gearing applications, a lubricant must be able to handle moderate to heavy loading making PAOs like NyeMed® 7630 a good choice. The common thread through these applications is biocompatibility. It is critical that incidental contact with a lubricant or possible off-gassing not present a health threat to the patient. Our certification to ISO 10993 provides this assurance.
What lasting impact will COVID-19 have on the medical device and diagnostic industry?
Clinical work is critical to the development of medical devices. As employees worked remotely during COVID-19, labs ran with reduced workforces or closed entirely; this resulted in a temporary slowing of the development cycle. The backlog from this slowdown will probably persist for a while, as companies ramp back up. Additionally, the tide really went out with COVID. Those companies that survive - especially the larger ones with cash on hand – will likely be looking to make acquisitions of smaller companies and startups.
What role will lubricants play in the future of surgical technology?
We’re still exploring this space, however on the surface, I’d say complexity and sophistication in design is growing as surgical devices become more effective. Developers are targeting specific applications, new usage situations, and often utilizing new materials of construction. If we can help simplify the design by removing a mechanical element and allowing a lubricant to do the work, that’s one less component to worry about.
What is your favorite part about working at Nye?
No day is the same. Working every day to help our customers solve their design issues is a very satisfying feeling. I also enjoy learning about interesting new technologies and identifying potential new uses for our products.
