German contract molder and manufacturer Raumedic (Helmbrechts) reports that it has developed a method for permanently combining non-polar thermoplastics with silicone elastomers to form a novel adhesive bond. Until now, according to the company, only a handful of polar thermoplastics could be combined with silicone. As for the prevailing hard polypropylene and soft thermoplastic elastomer combination, it comes with a compromise in terms of long-term behavior and resilience. The new Silefin technology from Raumedic offers an alternative and enables the injection molding of sealing elements or valves directly on the polyolefin part.

Silefin technology simplifies manufacturing and improves the safety of medical and drug-delivery components, according to Raumedic.

The technology is also suited for the production of co-extruded tubing: The silicone outer layer withstands peristaltic pumping and provides resilience while the hydrophobic polypropylene inner layer will not interact with the media flowing through the tubing. Depending on specific applications, Raumedic can engineer variable layer distributions.

Raumedic will present the initial results of this research at Compamed, the medtech suppliers showcase co-located with Medica, the largest medical technology trade show in the world. The events are held at Messe Düsseldorf in Germany from Nov. 16 to 19, 2015.