MATERIALS | THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS
Right TPE from Francesco Franceschetti Elastomeri is used by Negri Bossi to mould this face mask
that made this possible.” After BaS had designed a 3D model, Rietsch
Werkzeug- und Formenbau produced the mould required to manufacture the masks. With Kraiburg TPE able to promptly deliver the compounds needed to produce the masks, it took only a few days for the first sample to come off the conveyor belt. At the time of writing this article, BaS was able to produce 1,500 masks with breathing apparatus filters every day. A special feature of this mask system is its modular design, which combines a cleanable half-mask and an exchangeable filter. The plastic mask is easy to clean – in a dishwasher, for example – and can be reused with a new filter afterwards. “The mask is very easy to clean and has a pleasantly soft surface that allows it to fit snugly onto the face,” says Matthias Schmidt, Sales Manager Medical at Kraiburg TPE. “This is one of many different face-mask applications that have recently been implemented using our TPEs.” Since early April, injection moulding machine
maker Negri Bossi has been using two machines at its plant in Cologno Monzese, Italy, to produce masks using TPE. The company can make up to 500 masks per hour. The mould was built, again in record time, by Esistampi, near Ancona on Italy’s east coast. The TPE comes from Francesco Franceschetti Elastomeri. The masks are the result of a project carried out
Below: Coloured transparent medical TPE is new from Hexpol
entirely by Negri Bossi. They can be reused thanks to the interchangeability of the filtering fabric. They can also be upgraded, with the optional insertion of an exhalation valve filter. The transparent masks are easily sanitized in boiling water and soap. Hexpol TPE has added more transparent grades to its Mediprene portfolio of TPEs for medical applications. New customised coloured grades are based on the Mediprene Transparent TPE Series, ranging in hardness from 30 to 90 Shore A.
“Colour in medical applications could identify
products with different uses or sizes, disguise potential discoloration after radiation sterilisation or simply be a design opportunity supporting branding and identity,” Hexpol says. “Transparency and the ability to see through the product, on the other hand, is an important feature for many applications such as face masks and tubes.” The Mediprene Transparent TPE series compounds and customised coloured materials use raw materials that are food contact compliant (FDA 21CFR and Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011) and have a proven level of biocompatibility. For example, the styrenic block copolymer has passed USP Class VI; the paraffinic oil is a medicinal white oil, complying with the European Pharmacopoeia for liquid paraffin and USP for mineral oils; the PP has passed the USP Class VI tests and meets the requirements in the EP Monograph 3.1.3 Polyolefins; any colour masterbatch used is made from raw materials that have passed USP Class VI or corresponding parts of ISO 10993.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.teknorapex.com �
www.lubrizol.com �
www.polyone.com �
www.hexpoltpe.com �
www.kraiburg-tpe.com �
www.lanxess.com �
www.covestro.com �
www.haidlmair.at �
www.engelglobal.com �
www.nike.com �
www.bas-kunststoffverarbeitung.de �
www.negribossi.com �
www.f-franceschetti.it
52 INJECTION WORLD | May 2020
www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: HEXPOL
IMAGE: NEGRI BOSSI
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