See Raumedic’s novel adhesive bond of thermoplastic and silicone at Medtec 2016

Silefin is the connection between silicone and polyolefin, says Raumedic

If you want to see if it’s possible to connect non-polar thermoplastics and silicones permanently then head to the Raumedic stand at Medtec Europe.

Injection moulded and co-extruded hard-soft-plastics combinations have long been considered as the latest thing. The composite of a hard polypropylene and a soft thermoplastic elastomer has become reality in many components. However, a compromise at the expense of the long-term behaviour and resilience of the soft component has to often be made. It would be a desirable alternative if the soft element could be made of a silicone elastomer – but there is only a handful of polar thermoplastics that can be combined with silicone.

With a research project, Raumedic has now succeeded in taking a step forward. Thanks to a fundamental innovation, polyolefins as non-polar thermoplastics can be combined with a silicone elastomer, forming a novel adhesive bond.

This opens up the way for sealing elements or valves to be directly injection-moulded onto the surrounding polyolefin. Medical components or pharmaceutical dosing are simplified and their product safety is improved. It is also possible to produce co-extruded tubing, whose silicone outer layer provides outstanding pumping characteristics and excellent resilience.