TPEs 'offer better low-temperature toughness than PVC'

The Medalist TPEs, which also weigh less at comparable film gauges and could facilitate the production of thinner-gauge products, said a 19 Jan company release

The compounds are said to exhibit greater toughness in cold-storage applications, with brittle points as low as -60 °C, as against -40 °C for PVC. They are 70% as dense as PVC, with a typical specific gravity of 0.90.

“Our new TPEs for cold-storage bags and pouches combine the inherent low-temperature toughness of elastomers with the biocompatibility, processability, and cost-performance balance characteristic of all Medalist medical compounds,” claimed Ross van Royen, senior market manager of regulated products.

“They enable medical manufacturers to achieve weight savings and other economies while still providing the same product performance as standard PVC,” he added.

Teknor Apex produces Medalist compounds in ISO-13485 facilities in the US and Singapore. The new materials, it added, are made with FDA-listed ingredients, are certified to ISO 10993-5 standards for biocompatibility, and are REACH SVHC compliant.