The new series is composed of Medalist overmolded medical grade TPE compounds, which have strong adhesion to medical grade polycarbonate (PC) and PC alloys, and have formulas that enhance wear resistance.
Medalist MD-34900 series compounds have 50, 60, and 70 Shore A hardnesses and are suitable for general medical overmolding applications. However, the hardness grade of the MD-36975 TPE compound is 75 Shore A. It is specifically designed for overmolding in wearable devices and has excellent corrosion resistance to commonly encountered emulsions and disinfectants.
Material giant Covestro and Teknor Apex jointly carried out a project. In this project, these materials were overmolded on various medical grade Makrolon PC, Bayblend and Makroblend PC alloys after inserting and multiple injection molding processes. The project evaluated material properties including adhesion, processability and chemical resistance. The peel strength results indicate that Medalist compounds adhere well to Covestro's engineering thermoplastics. During the MD & M West exhibition, Covestro and Teknor Apex will jointly write a white paper detailing experiments and product performance.
Ross van Royen, senior marketing manager at Teknor Apex, said: "Medalist TPE can be a good substitute for injection-molded liquid silicones. Because they do not require the use of primer, and the production cycle is shorter (to avoid lengthy curing process), and can be routine Processing on injection molding equipment. "
Van Royen added: "We have invested a lot in TPE's adhesion modification technology to improve our understanding of adhesion, develop more economical formulations, and improve the adhesion capabilities of these products in complex part designs . "
Medalist MD-34900 series and MD-36975 compounds have been launched worldwide. But as medical grade TPE, their formulations are strictly controlled. They are made using only food-grade ingredients listed by the FDA, meet the biocompatibility requirements of ISO 10993-5, and meet the requirements of CONEG, RoHS, and California Proposition 65. These compounds are produced in multiple ISO-13485 certified facilities to ensure supply safety.