A new implant-grade silicone rubber that allows faster extrusion line speeds has been introduced by Applied Silicone Corp. (Santa Paula, CA), a global supplier of long-term implantable silicones for the medical device and critical healthcare market. The HCRA 4700 series is an implantable, high-consistency, addition-cure silicone rubber that has been optimized in a number of ways.

The extrusion process requires constant monitoring and adjustment to maintain the dimensional tolerances of tubing. The next-generation HCRA 4700 series delivers reduced porosity, high plasticity, long table life, and dimensional stability for faster extrusion line speeds and reduced scrap, according to Applied Silicone.

Supplied as a two-part 1:1 elastomer system, the HCRA 4700 series is available in 20-kg kits of 35, 50, and 65 Shore A, which can be blended to create custom durometers or physical property profiles.

"We listened carefully to our customers to define and deliver the optimum properties to improve their overall production process," said company President Alastair Winn in a prepared statement. "We are very confident that our optimized HCRA 4700 series combines carefully controlled plasticity and rapid cure to create an excellent base to extrude challenging profiles and maximize line speeds."