New medical grade TPEs on display at MD&M West
Custom compounder, Teknor Apex, will exhibit a new series of medical grade ThermoPlastic Elastomer (TPE) compounds at MD&M West in February this year.
The new series consists of Medalist medical-grade TPE compounds for over-moulding which display strong adhesion to medical-grade PolyCarbonate (PC) and PC alloys and include formulations with enhanced resistance to chemicals encountered in wearable applications.
The Medalist MD-34900 series compounds which are available in 50, 60, and 70 Shore A grades are for general medical overmoulding applications. However, the MD-36975 grade is a 75 Shore A TPE designed specifically for overmoulding in wearable devices, with excellent resistance to the lotions and disinfectants that are typically encountered.
A joint project was conducted with materials giant, Covestro, where these materials were over-moulded using both insert and multi-shot moulding onto various medical grades of Makrolon PC as well as Bayblend and Makroblend PC alloys. The project included tests which evaluated adhesion, processability and chemical resistance. Results of peel strength showed the Medalist compounds adhered well to Covestro’s engineering thermoplastics. During MD&M West, Covestro and Teknor Apex will present a co-authored white paper with details of the experiments and product performance.
Ross van Royen, senior market manager, Teknor Apex commented: “Medalist TPEs are excellent alternatives to liquid silicones used in over-moulding because they do not require the use of a primer, have a shorter cycle time (avoiding the lengthy curing process), and can be processed on conventional injection moulding equipment.”
“We’ve made substantial investments in adhesion-modified technologies for TPEs, increasing our understanding of adhesion, developing more cost-effective formulations, and improving the bonding capabilities of these products in complex part designs”, added van Royen.
The Medalist MD-34900 series and MD-36975 compounds are globally available. However, as medical-grade TPEs, they are subject to strict formulation controls, are made only with FDA-listed food-grade ingredients, are ISO 10993-5 compliant for biocompatibility, and are compliant with CONEG, RoHS, and California Proposition 65 requirements. These compounds are produced in multiple ISO-13485-certified facilities to ensure security of supply.
Teknor Apex will be on booth 2121 during MD&M West, which takes place from 11th to 13th February 2020 in Anaheim Convention Center.