MEDICAL | TECHNOLOGY & MATERIALS
Above: Covestro is suppyling polycarbonate to Chinese medical device mangfacturer Wego New Life Medical Devices Co., Ltd. to provide safety and durability to oxygenators
are able to monitor patients remotely thanks to smart phones and wearable devices. As a result, consumers are handling and caring for the devices they are using for at-home care. These devices need to be durable from a consumer standpoint, able to withstand cleaning and a more active lifestyle. So medical device designers are looking for strong tear and high elongation materials to meet these needs. Elkem Silicones offers a range of low durometer high performance soft LSRs that offer good tear and stretch and return features for durability, flexibility and patient comfort. A 01 ShA material delivers high tear strength and elongation for soft cushioning and vibration dampening applications, combined with the ease of processing and improved productivity advantages. “In addition to at-home monitoring, we have also seen an increase in our LSR materials being used for in-vitro diagnostics. Due to their biocompatibil- ity, chemical inertness, physical properties and ability to replicate very small features within a mould, our LSRs make good candidate materials for diagnostic components and devices requiring micro fluidic channels, membranes or seals. With our LSR materials also being designed for high volume injection moulding, these materials can be ideal for disposable diagnostic cartridges or cassettes. We are also seeing a need for our materials in the patient’s treatment after diagnosis. Whether it be traditional drug delivery methods or drug delivery devices designed to be worn and monitored remotely that provide continuous or on the spot delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredi- ents, we have seen the use of our HCR materials, medical grade silicone fluids, and recently devel- oped self-lubricating LSR materials for drug delivery device components, for example, pre-filled syring- es, septum, needless valves, and check valves.” The company adds that it is also seeing greater
interest in the market for low temperature cure materials, driven by the increasing usage of
32 INJECTION WORLD | September 2017
electronics in medical devices and the desire to expand the range of thermoplastic materials that can be used in two-shot or overmoulding applica- tions. Devices with electronic components or low melt plastics cannot withstand the standard 177-204°C (350-400°F) curing temperatures of traditional two component LSRs. Elkem Silicones has launched LSR Select to improve speed of cure at low temperatures, which the company claims provides moulders with flexibility and control related to cure kinetics rather than depending entirely on LSR chemistry. LSR Select allows moulders to adjust and optimise the cure speed for the part size and dimension of a specific part to increase output and decrease cycle time and reject rates. This is accomplished by changing the inhibitor levels in process and metering the catalyst just before moulding. Cycle time improvement rates of up to 60% can be achieved, says the company. Solvay has developed two lubricated Zeniva
PEEK polymers, expanding design and manufactur- ing options for implantable device manufacturers. The company says that Zeniva ZA-500L and ZA-600L PEEK each offer melt indexes specifically tailored for injection moulding, enabling broader design latitudes for customers developing next-generation implantable devices. Solvay adds that implantable Zeniva PEEK offers many benefits compared with implantable metals. Its modulus of elasticity is similar to that of cortical bone, minimising reduction in bone density by maintaining normal stress on surrounding bone tissue. It also eliminates the risk of allergic reactions to heavy metals, and its radiolu- cent properties will not interfere with X-ray and computed tomography scanning procedures. Vestakeep PEEK from Evonik has been selected for use in the Kator Suture Anchor System, which has been used in its first surgical cases in rotator cuff repair and Achilles tendon reattachment. Evonik says that the material adds structural integrity to the system and the repair construct’s superior strength allows surgeons to repair rotator cuffs or reattach Achilles tendons using fewer suture anchors. “Vestakeep PEEK’s high fatigue resistance has
proven critical in the successful development of the Kator Suture Anchor System,” says Lane Hale, Executive Vice President of Surgical Frontiers. “The system’s anchors receive high stress loads through- out the healing process. In order to handle those loads, we have developed a construction with superior strength using our technology along with Evonik’s Vestakeep PEEK.” Covestro is suppyling polycarbonate to Chinese medical device mangfacturer Wego New Life
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