PROCESSING | MEDICAL TUBING
balloon angioplasty – in which a small plastic tube is inserted into an artery and then inflated in order to widen the artery. Here, it is important to increase the burst pressure of existing materials, while improving balloon forming process stability and enlarging the elastic deformation range. Arkema says that its Pebax 7433 grade, for
instance, has a higher flexural modulus, yield stress and burst resistance than the earlier 7233 grade – resulting in balloon catheters with better mechan- ical performance. Stefan Karis, sales development manager at
Above: Arkema says that a new grade of Pebax with a lower surface coefficient will be used to improve the performance of catheter tubing
Extreme performance Arkema, meanwhile, is developing an ‘extreme’ range of its PA12-based Pebax TPEs for extended use in medical tubing. Pebax materials have been used in catheters for
more than 20 years, according to Amélie Noel, market development engineer at the company. However, Arkema is now developing new grades that have enhanced properties such as lower friction and greater elastic deformation. One new grade, for instance , overcomes a typical limitation of Pebax materials: its friction characteristics. “Pebax is not as lubricious as PE or PTFE – and soft PEBA has quite a high friction coefficient,” said Noel. The new grade, called MV1074 SA01 Med, is
anti-static and breathable – and has a far lower friction coefficient. This last property has been achieved through engineering a lower contact angle for hydrophilic PEBA. This higher wettability brings greater lubricity, she said. The material would typically be used as the outer layer of a co-extruded catheter pipe, she said, and in other medical applications such as breathable medical film. Two more grades are aimed at applications in
Kraton Polymers, explained how the company has boosted several properties of hydrogenated SBCs to improve performance in medical tubing. He said that the MD1646 VO developmental product has an enhanced rubber segment structure, good compatibility with PP and low polystyrene content. It also has lower solution viscosity and higher melt flow than the existing G1645 grade – yet retains its key physical properties. The material, when blended with PP, had a similar kink value – and lower haze – than a G1645/PP blend. Other advantages of the new grade included better colour, clarity and melt processability.
n Medical Tubing 2018 takes place in Boston, USA on 2-3 October. For more details, contact Stephanie Hume (
stephanie.hume@
ami.international) on +1 610 478 0800.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.teknorapex.com �
www.conairgroup.com �
www.davis-standard.com �
www.zumbach.com �
www.guill.com �
www.tekni-plex.com/colorite �
www.gencap.com �
www.spgindustries.com �
www.fermatex.com
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EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGIES FOR TODAY‘S PLASTICS
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