Teknor Apex launches gel-like medical elastomer
ERJ staff report (DS)
Pawtucket, Rhode Island -- Teknor Apex has introduced an ultra-soft medical elastomer gel in its Medalist series. Although its properties in service are similar to a gel, the material is supplied in free-flowing pellets and processes on normal equipment. The material is transparent and based on a a standard hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer
Teknor said its latests grade, Medalist MD-447, is so ultra-soft that it could not be measured accurately on the Shore A hardness scale used for other Medalist elastomers, the softest of which has a Shore A rating of 5. Subjected to the Shore OO test for ultra-soft materials, the new compound has a rating of 25.
The new compound avoids handling problems sometimes posed by exceedingly soft materials in pellet form, according to Lisa Charno, medical market manager. “Teknor Apex has considerable experience with gel elastomers used commercially in non-medical applications,†Charno said. “We applied that experience to formulate a gel that achieves new levels of softness yet flows freely in pellet form and is readily processed in standard injection moulding machines.â€
Teknor said, "Medalist MD-447 is free of latex, phthalates, or animal-derived components, and complies with FDA, California Proposition 65, CONEG, and REACH requirements for medical applications."
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Press release from Teknor Apex
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