PAWTUCKET, RI, U.S.A.: Following a series of successful applications of Medalist® medical elastomers in tubing, Teknor Apex Company has expanded its range of tubing compounds to meet a wide diversity of end-use requirements, including new alternatives to PVC, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and silicone. The company will highlight its tubing compounds at Medtec China 2015 (Stand A310).
The portfolio of Medalist elastomers now available for tubing includes eleven standard grades and two specialty grades. The standard products range in Shore A hardness from 37 to 89; include optically clear and translucent grades; and cover a broad spectrum of physical properties. They can be sterilized by e-beam, gamma, or ethylene oxide methods and are autoclavable.
Medalist elastomers are good candidates for single- and multi-lumen catheter, IV, drug delivery, gas supply, chest drainage, and peristaltic pump tubing, noted Serene Cheng Sook Ee, Asia business director for the Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex.
“The diversity of Medalist elastomers available for tubing applications provides a great deal of flexibility for device designers,” said Ms. Cheng. “For production managers, these compounds provide excellent extrusion rates while holding to tight tolerances.”
Ms. Cheng pointed out that Medalist elastomers serve as fully practical alternatives to three materials widely used for tubing:
---PVC. “Medalist MD-50200 Series compounds mirror the clarity, haptics, physical properties, kink resistance, and clamp resistance of PVC while exhibiting enhanced gamma stability and flexibility,” said Ms. Cheng “In addition, tubing made from these compounds can be used with single-barb fittings, eliminating the need for adhesives.”
---Silicone. Medalist elastomers combine the performance of thermoset rubber materials such as silicone with the processing ease and design freedom of thermoplastics, and they avoid concerns posed by rubber about extractables due to curing agents. Silicone presents additional problems, noted Ms. Cheng: “While silicone has long been used in tubing, it is expensive, is extremely permeable to gases, and has absorption issues with certain proteins and anti-oxidants that could affect the contents of tubing. Using Medalist elastomers eliminates these concerns, and at a lower cost versus silicone.”
---TPU. Unlike TPU, Medalist elastomers are non-hygroscopic and do not require pre-drying, exhibit less surface tackiness, and are available in a wider hardness range, including grades below 40 Shore A. In addition, they are less dense than TPUs and thus yield more tubing per kilogram of compound.
Medalist elastomers are made with FDA food grade compliant ingredients, pass the ISO 10993-5 standard for biocompatibility, are REACH SVHC compliant, free of DEHP and other phthalates, and free of BPA. Medalist standard grades are also free of animal derived materials.
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