Medical Device Link.

Originally Published EMDM March/April 2003

INDUSTRY NEWS

A line of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) formulations offers clarity, resilience, heat age properties, mouldability, physical strength, and fast cure speed. A two-part, 100%-solid, pure dimethyl silicone elastomer, Silbione LSR from Rhodia Silicones (Saint-Fons, France) is engineered for use in liquid-injection moulding (LIM) processes to produce high-strength moulded components for medical devices.

“Silbione LSR offers a combination of performance characteristics not found in other LSR products on the market today,” says the human care business director of the US-based division of Rhodia Silicones, Robert Barrett. He cites fast mould cycles, easy mould release, and high clarity with a 30 to 50% increase in average tear strength as some of the advantages. The material is available in 40, 50, 60, and 70 durometers in standard and high-strength grades, and is suited for such healthcare product applications as diaphragm pumps, dosage-control devices, drug-delivery valves, enteral feeding systems, IV valves, and wound-drain bulbs.

LIM offers many benefits in the processing of silicone rubber, including cleanliness and speed, explains marketing manager Alain Morin. Pumping systems deliver the two-part liquid silicone directly into a mixer for homogenization, and then into the mould cavity; this completely closed cycle minimizes contamination. The LIM process ensures consistent part quality, reduces injection pressures, and improves cycle rates, adds Morin.

Rhodia Silicones has also announced that its French headquarters, Rhodia S.A., is reorganizing its operations in an effort to better serve its customers. The company will be restructured around eight markets, identified as consumer products, food chemicals, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, automotive, electronic products, and fibres. Each market area will have a key leader, who will serve as enterprise president for the respective group, and a marketing innovation director, responsible for identifying major customer issues and managing partnerships with key accounts. 

For more information, contact Rhodia Engineering Plastics S.A., Avenue Ramboz, BP 64, Saint-Fons F-69192, France; phone: +33 472 892700; fax: +33 472 892701; Internet: www.rhodia-ep.com.

Kelly Donoghue

Copyright ©2003 European Medical Device Manufacturer