A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
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After a bumpy start, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) formulations are making more and more inroads in medical applications. New TPE formulations presented at K 2007 by GLS International (Oudenbosch, Netherlands) and the VTC TPE Group (Åmål, Sweden) may help that process along.
As you may know, the K is a massive event devoted to all things polymeric. The trade show occupies Messe Düsseldorf for a full week every three years. This year it ran from 24 to 31 October. Although the device sector represents only about 1% of total plastics consumption, medical applications tend to take a high profile at this show. There are some obvious reasons for this: the quantity of materials sold to the med-tech industry may be minuscule as a percentage, but it is constantly growing, and the applications often are innovative in a way that commands media attention. Plus, the margins are irresistible for materials suppliers.
Because its new materials have a host of potential applications, GLS convened a full-on press conference to introduce the Dynalloy OBC compounds. Olefin block copolymer (OBC) technology was developed by Dow Chemical, which has granted GLS the rights to supply processors with TPEs that incorporate the material. The compounds feature a soft-touch feel, colourability, and flow characteristics that enable the use of complex moulds with long flow paths. One of the material’s primary medical applications involves orthopaedic products.
Addressing reporters and editors at the press conference, vice president of global sales and marketing Walter Ripple explained how GLS’s application-specific focus will boost the profile of this product. The typical modus operandi of GLS, he explained, is to show customers stock shapes as examples of the firm’s capabilities. It’s an icebreaker of sorts, that is followed up with, “Now, tell us what you really want us to do,” said Ripple. “This agreement enables Dow to broaden its range of products and applications. We can turn this into hundreds of grades to suit custom specifications.”
The five standard injection-moulding grades of Dynalloy OBC are available in opaque and translucent versions and in hardness levels from a gel-like 5 Shore A to 60 Shore A.
Need something even softer? Then you may want to check out the newest TPE formulation from VTC TPE Group. The company has developed a 0 Shore A material specifically for medical applications.
The material was engineered for a customer who must remain nameless, said business manager Kjell Fagerström. He did divulge, however, that the extreme softness was required because the material is in direct contact with human skin and the mucous membrane. “It was important that the material not hurt the patient,” said Fagerström, “and it had to have excellent conformability.” The product has been on the market for about one year now, and during that time the material has attracted a surprising amount of attention from other device manufacturers.
“Frankly, we did not expect to see much interest in a 0 Shore A material beyond our customer’s application,” said Fagerström. “But potential uses have materialized that we had not considered. Its cushioning properties, for example, may be beneficial in orthopaedic applications.”
The 0 Shore A material has been added to the company’s Mediprene range. The USP Class VI TPE can be coloured, is available in transparent and translucent grades, and has passed ISO 10993-5 cytotoxicity tests.
I came across a number of other items of interest for device manufacturers at K 2007, including a micromoulding machine developed by the faculty of medical technology at the Technical University of Munich. Intrigued? Good. Consider it one more reason you won’t want to miss the January/February issue of EMDM.
