Trelleborg focusing on LSR technology

London – Trelleborg has invested heavily in liquid silicone rubber (LSR) technologies as the biocompatible and biostable material lends itself to use in healthcare and medical applications.

The company, according to the Trelleborg official, has centred its focus on processing.

In addition to the conventional method of producing drug-eluting materials – the addition of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to raw silicone – Trelleborg has developed solutions by impregnating APIs into vulcanised silicone by immersion.

The technology, said Romberg, has the major advantage of extending the range of drugs that can be used in drug-eluting silicone-based devices to include ones that would normally be damaged by heat.

Commenting on automation and robotics, the Trelleborg official described them as “extremely important” areas of technology on which the elastomer industry should focus.

“We are constantly looking at ways that we can better automate our processes. At our facility in Switzerland, most parts produced are untouched by human hands until packaged and some are even boxed or packed robotically,” Romberg added.

For further details see Trelleborg Q&A, p39 European Rubber Journal July/August 2019 issue.