TPE substitute rubber for the end of syringe plunger

Teknor Apex announced at Plas-Tech Engineering, Inc. at the United States International Medical Design and Manufacturing Show in Minneapolis. Medalist elastomers have been selected as one of several alternative high-performance alternatives to traditional materials for the manufacture of new series of disposable syringes. Plas-Tech Engineering, Inc. It is a custom processing company that specializes in manufacturing innovative medical device components.

Plas-Tech uses a Medalist medical elastomer made by Teknor Apex to replace the thermosetting rubber to create a small tip or seal for the syringe plunger to prevent the back flow of the drug in the syringe during delivery. The company uses durable polycarbonate instead of polyolefin to make a series of syringe plungers and syringes; for the other two series of syringes, Plas-Tech uses them separately when manufacturing plungers and syringes. The shatterproof cycloolefin polymers and copolymers replace glass. Silicone coatings are widely used to ensure smooth movement of the plunger in the barrel, but Plas-Tech uses a non-silicone coating to prevent possible reactions between the coating and the drug.

Company president Aaron Hirschmann pointed out: "Teknor Apex has provided us with toxicological data of the entire range of Medalist elastomer materials from the very beginning, which has saved us a lot of work. In addition, the company also helps us to determine the most suitable material according to its use, and Provide us with small batches of samples to use in R&D."

Of nearly 30 standard materials in Medalist's entire series, Plas-Tech chose two of them for the manufacture of pusher tips: the translucent Medalist MD-145 for polycarbonate syringes; the transparent Medalist MD-555 for rings Olefin syringes. The MD-555 grade was chosen because of its compatibility with the cycloolefin material. Stress cracking may occur when the cycloolefin contacts many thermoplastic elastomers.

According to Lisa Charno, medical marketing manager, Teknor Apex Thermoplastic Elastomers Division, the two Medalist materials are gamma sterilizable and autoclavable, resist drug-induced degradation or drug interactions, and have a sealed seal. The low compression set required for completeness and high resistance to thermal aging. “Medalist elastomers are thermoplastic materials that can be processed faster than traditionally used polyisoprene rubbers. High-cavity hot runner injection molding processes can be used to increase the cost-effectiveness of production,” said Charno. “These materials have a consistent shrinkage rate, so they can be used Extremely high dimensional tolerances without the need for trimming or other post-release processing.”

Plas-Tech's new syringes are currently used in the cosmetic surgery field. The company currently supplies three series of standard volume syringes of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 cc, respectively, as well as custom-sized syringes.