Source: Actega.
Actega ProvaMed
Medical grade ProvaMed TPEs from Actega will be exhibited at both K and Compamed in Düsseldorf, Germany, in October and November, respectively.
A report from German manufacturer of TPEs, Actega, has highlighted the benefits of its ProvaMed range of TPEs in injection moulding. The report begins by outlining how the injection moulding process works, as follows.
Medical technology is synonymous with very high functional demands. Instruments must be extremely precise and often very robust. Injection moulding is a primary shaping process whereby an injection moulding machine is used to plasticise a material in an injection unit which is then injected into an injection moulding tool. The tool cavity determines the form and surface structure of the finished part. This process enables the manufacture of feasible moulded parts which can be used directly in large piece numbers and items of high accuracy as required in precision or medical technology, for example. Parts weighing only a few tenths of a gram to 150 kilograms can be manufactured. The surfaces of the components produced can be selected as required—smooth surfaces for optical applications, grains for haptic areas or even all kinds of patterns and engravings.
It goes on to highlight the credentials of ProvaMed, below.
Specially-developed medical grade plastics are applied for this process technology in the medical environment, for example the ProvaMed materials offered by Actega DS.
“Medical grade” outlines a large profile of properties. On the one hand, it means tested bio-compatibility and physiological safety. Test results for bio-compatibility in accordance with ISO 10993 and USP Class IV are available for Actega's materials, whereby such tests not only examine compliance with technical requirements but also the material's compatibility with the human organism. In accordance with the Medical Product Directive MDD 93/42 EEC, this biological test is always necessary when the material/product comes into direct contact with the patient. The safety components for ProvaMed materials are said to ensure compatibility on contact with the body as well as direct or indirect contact with blood and other liquids.
Chemical and media resistance is yet another feature. Sterilisability on the part of materials is also a must in the medical environment. Owing to high product costs, hospitals and surgeries reuse a range of device components and instruments. A prerequisite for this is represented by a safe method of killing as many micro-organisms on the surface of these devices as possible. A key aspect in selecting the suitable plastic for technical medical applications is therefore the requirement concerning repeated cleaning, disinfection and sterilisability of the product. The ProvaMed portfolio can be sterilised using ethylene oxide, gamma radiation or hot steam in autoclaves.
At the fairs K 2013, on October 16-23 in Düsseldorf—at the joint stand with Eckart, hall 5, stand E 16—and Compamed, November 20-22, Düsseldorf, the company will present more applications of these compounds developed for medical technology, pharmacy and cosmetics.