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Flame-retardant medical-grade TPU gains converts
Lubrizol Advanced Materials (Cleveland, OH) featured a flame-retardant medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)—an industry first, according to the company—at MD&M West this week in Anaheim, CA. Flame retardancy is not typically among the litany of properties that medical device manufacturers demand of materials, but there is a need for it in some applications, according to Ralf Hüther, Global Medical Device Manager, LIfeScience Polymers, at Lubrizol.
Norbert Sparrow
February 13, 2014
1 Min Read
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"One medical device OEM used the material as an alternative to the rubber that he had been using," says Hüther. Devices with sensors, diagnostic components, and related electronics where the softness of urethane is desirable are among the key applications, he adds.
The material withstands sterilization, a key feature for medical device OEMs manufacturing reusable devices, adds Hüther. "We have done tests of up to 500 cycles with hydrogen peroxide and the material has not shown any degradation," he says.
The material can be molded or extruded. Custom colors will be available later this year.
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