Medalist TPEs for Medical Tubing – Product Selector Guide

Choosing the right medical tubing material is critical for product performance and patient safety. Medalist® thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) offer a flexible, PVC-free alternative to silicone rubber tubing. This selector guide helps engineers and designers compare grades, understand key properties, and select the best TPE tubing material for their medical applications.

Recent trends in the healthcare industry require new innovations in polymer technology. Medalist Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs) combine the performance characteristics of thermoset rubber with the processing ease of a thermoplastic; therefore they are suitable alternatives to a wide variety of medical-grade materials used today, like flexible PVC, TPU, and silicone. For medical-grade tubing, Medalist TPEs are the premier choice due to their high degree of purity (low level of extractables), biocompatibility, and optimal balance of economics and performance. Medalist TPEs are good candidates for single and multi-lumen tubing used in catheters, IV, drug delivery, gas supply, and chest drainage.

Medical thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are soft, flexible materials that combine the performance of rubber with the processing efficiency and recyclability of thermoplastics. They can be injection molded, extruded, or overmolded without the need for curing—reducing cycle times, waste, and cost in medical device manufacturing.

Healthcare OEMs are moving toward medical-grade thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) as alternatives to PVC and silicone because they deliver the same softness, flexibility, and clarity—with added processing and sustainability advantages.

Unlike PVC, TPEs are plasticizer-free, eliminating concerns about DEHP and other additives while maintaining kink resistance and weldability. Compared to silicone, TPEs offer lower permeability, tighter dimensional control, and faster extrusion throughput—reducing manufacturing cost and complexity.

Teknor Apex’s Medalist® TPEs combine biocompatibility, sterilization compatibility, and elastic recovery with thermoplastic processing efficiency, making them an ideal choice for IV, peristaltic pump, biopharma, and medical gas tubing applications. Download the Medalist TPE Product Selector Guide to compare grades and access full technical data. 

The table below compares the key performance and processing characteristics of PVC, silicone, and Medalist® medical-grade TPE materials commonly used in medical tubing.

Teknor Apex’s Medalist® TPEs combine the clarity, weldability, and kink resistance of PVC with the elasticity and biocompatibility of silicone—without their respective drawbacks. Medalist® materials are plasticizer-free, recyclable, and easier to process, reducing energy use and manufacturing time. Produced in ISO 13485-certified facilities, these compounds meet the growing demand for sustainable, compliant, and high-performance medical tubing that supports next-generation healthcare innovation.

Engineered to meet international medical standards, Medalist® TPEs ensure safety, purity, and regulatory confidence for healthcare device manufacturers.

Regulatory Compliance:

• Made with FDA compliant ingredients  
• Biocompatible, ISO 10993-5 compliant
• REACH SVHC Compliant
• Free of DEHP, phthalates, BPA and latex
• Free of Animal Derived Materials (ADM)
• Manufactured in an ISO-13485 certified facility 

• Proven technology with OEMs and processors
• Excellent extrusion rates and throughput
• Low level of extractables
• Wide service temperature range

• Sterilization by e-beam, gamma, ethylene oxide, and steam (autoclave)
• Connector bonding achieved with light-cured adhesives and cyanoacrylates

These properties make Medalist® TPEs dependable and consistent, ensuring uniform quality and performance in high-volume production environments.

The Medalist MD-53200 Series, available from 65 to 93 Shore A, mirrors the clarity, haptics, and performance characteristics of PVC, while exhibiting enhanced gamma stability and flexibility over a wider temperature range. Medical tubing made from Medalist has excellent kink resistance and clamp resilience. In addition, with the MD-53200 Series, the aesthetics of the tubing can be easily manipulated during extrusion to appear crystal clear, translucent, or frosted.

The MD-53200 Series can also be used to replace TPU in clear tubing and also presents a number of key advantages over TPU. Medalist is non-hygroscopic, and unlike TPU, does not require pre-drying before extruding. Further, Medalist is available in a wider hardness range and exhibits less surface tackiness than TPU. Finally, Medalist has a lower density versus TPU, therefore results in more feet of tubing per pound of material.

For translucent medical tubing, the Medalist MD-12300 Series offers a tremendous cost savings over silicone rubber. Medalist tubing exhibits similar characteristics to silicone tubing, however silicone can have absorption issues with certain proteins and anti-oxidants and is extremely permeable to gases. These concerns are eliminated when using Medalist medical TPEs. Also, since Medalist materials are thermoplastic and not thermoset like silicone, they are heat sealable and sterile weldable.

For more information about Medalist TPEs for medical applications, including extruded tubing and film, go to our Medalist product page.