TPEs for the medical, home, and cosmetics sector applications

Medical devices with TPEs soft-touch advantage
With accuracy and precision, medical devices, whether used in a home or in a healthcare setting, are expected to provide effective outcomes for a patient. The design of the instruments must, thus, be ergonomically driven to enable dexterity, control and comfort when handling the instruments.

A soft-touch surface promotes ease of use, and better control and grip, especially in hand-held or single-use medical devices. For self-administering in the home, a soft-touch surface can ensure proper and easy handling of medical devices for effective drug delivery and error-free performance.

Today, thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are widely used for a soft-touch surface and feel. Moreover, the varied mechanical properties of TPEs in medical device applications, such as ease of coloration, flexibility and purity, contribute to the aesthetic appearance and high usability of the products.

For manufacturers, TPEs are the perfect choice of materials, owing to their easy processing, for example, via injection moulding or extrusion process.

Kraiburg TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom solutions for multiple industries, offers high quality and custom-engineered Thermolast M compounds that conform to the soft-touch requirements of medical device applications.

Taking a safe approach
For soft-touch surfaces in medical device applications, Kraiburg TPE offers the Thermolast M MC/AD/PA series of compounds that are sterilisable by using methods such as EtO gas, γ-gamma ray treatment (2 x 35 kGy) and β-ray (electron beam) treatment (2 x 35 kGy). The Thermolast M series is also free of latex, PVC and phthalates, allowing it to be used for medical devices.

The Thermolast M has been specially formulated for applications requiring medical approvals and conforms to standards such as ISO 10993-5 (Cytotoxicity) and ISO 10993-10 (Intracutaneous irritation).

The MC/AD/PA compounds have excellent adhesion to various polyamides such as PA6 and PA12, allowing for use in applications requiring soft-touch grips, sealing, flexible connectors, switches, and mats in the medical devices industry. The compounds can also be applied in handles, buttons and closures that require soft-touch surfaces for medical devices.

The compounds can be coloured in various options using Pantone and RAL as a colour reference, allowing for differentiation of end products.

Approved to exacting standards
Kraiburg TPE’s Thermolast M MC/tl series is certified to standards such as ISO 10993-10 (Intracutaneous irritation), ISO 10993-5 (Cytotoxicity), ISO 10993-4 (Hemolysis), ISO 10993-11 (Acute systemic toxicity) and VDI 2017.

It comes in natural colours and can be coloured in many ways. It has excellent adhesion to PP and PE, allowing it to be applied on mouthpieces and as a soft-touch element on medical devices.

The MC/tl series has optimized compression set and has excellent abrasion resistance, for applications that require high contact and friction such as handles and grips on medical devices and sealings on respiratory masks.

Medical Service Package
Kraiburg TPE strives to maintain the standards of its products by providing a unique service package that focuses on customer needs. It does this by constantly recording the manufacturing process in the drug Masterfile (DMF); and by guaranteeing 24-month supply security and purity of raw materials through the commitment of suppliers.

It also has a dedicated production unit for the manufacture of THERMOLAST® M to ensure quality, safety and reliability of the compounds.

Hearty benefits of TPEs for home catering applications
Dining etiquette differs in every culture around the world. But no matter the tradition, dining brings a communal experience to strengthen relationships, increase social bonding and promote a healthy well-being.

Proper tableware can significantly enhance the dining experience, especially for home catering during festive seasons and when celebrating special occasions. During these celebrations, the selection of appropriate tableware, which is thematic and guaranteed to be food-safe, is a must.

Colours, textures, shapes, and ergonomics are important design elements for cutlery, dinnerware, drinkware and serving utensils that serve to visually present food and drinks in a fitting manner.

Innovative materials such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) can achieve these design requirements. TPEs can be shaped into any conceivable design; have an appealing look and feel; and are available in various customized colours.

Kraiburg TPEcaters to compounds that are cost-effective, safe, and versatile for tableware applications.

Safe-eating pleasure
Food-contact safety may often be overlooked when buying tableware products. With KraiburgTPE’s Thermolast K TPE series, safety is assured. It complies with global benchmarks for food-safety such as the EU Directive 10/2011, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21, and the EN71/3 European safety standard.

Furthermore, the Thermolast K TPE series is free from heavy metal, phthalates, allergen, and halogen, ensuring a non-toxicity factor for applications. Additionally, it can be processed through injection moulding and extrusion, allowing for versatility in design.

Feasting on a luxurious feel
Kraiburg TPE’s FC/AD/PS series of compounds render a smooth surface and comfortable grip for tableware and home catering items, such as grips for serving trays, cutlery handles, kitchen utensil handles, pepper grinders, bottle grips, food graters, and others.

This series also has good adhesion with polar thermoplastics such as PC, ABS, PC/ABS, PET, PETG and PS; and wide hardness ranges from 30-90 Shore A, catering to use in a variety of applications.

Medley of colour options available
For an enhanced visual appeal of tableware that helps to set the mood by complementing visual aspects, the FC/AP series comes in natural and translucent colours for flexible coloration options.

Aside from possessing good adhesion with PP, the FC/AP series has a wide range of hardness 30-90 Shore A., the FC/AP series has good mechanical properties and a non-sticky, tacky surface for use in possible applications such as food lids, hot plate holder, salad bowls and others.

TPEs optimise home entertainment pleasure
Home entertainment technologies are elevating our notion of home comforts when it comes to consuming audio-visual contents.

There has also been a shift in how people relax, with entertainment consumers spending more time indoors, consuming content in the comfort of their homes or while in transit inside their personal vehicles (as an extension of their homes) via computers, handheld devices or regular entertainment media.

It is for all these reasons that various formats for accessing content are gaining traction, including online streaming, pay-per-view, digital subscriptions, and time-shifted programming.

Meanwhile, the increasing share of connected, smart technologies in audio-visual entertainment platforms is transforming the standards of convenience and overall user experience in content consumption.

The design of home entertainment devices is an important brand differentiator. Manufacturers are latching onto the latest trends in design, colour, finish and technology-capabilities of their products. Innovative materials such as TPEs tick off all the boxes.

Kraiburg TPE offers high quality and custom-engineered TPE compounds that enable manufacturers to expand their flexibility in designing the end-products in the home entertainment sector.

Safety advantage of flame-proof materials
Kraiburg TPE’s flame retardant FR/AP series is self-extinguishing, giving the assurance that there is no release of burning droplets.

With the availability of coloration and excellent adhesion to other plastic materials such as PP, the compounds are widely used in electrical and electronics devices. Thus, the FR/AP series compounds are suitable for application in electrical components such as cable clips, cable holders, and sealing for audio systems.

Soft-touch surface applications
Home entertainment systems, such as video and audio equipment, often require materials that are durable, with a soft-touch feel and to be suitable for high contact with human skin.

Kraiburg TPE’s VS/AD/HM series is perfectly suited for soft-touch, velvety feel surfaces. The compounds exhibit excellent adhesion to ABS, ASA, PA, PC, PC/ABS and SAN and offer resistance to abrasion, scratch, skin oils and other skin-contact substances.

This series is suitable to be applied on remote controls, push buttons, switches, thumb wheels, and functional and design elements in audio systems.

Consistent and high quality colourability of TPEs
Kraiburg TPE provides customised solutions for coloured TPEs, with colour quality that is guaranteed to be consistent worldwide. Various tests are carried out to ensure the quality assurance of the colour quality on TPEs.

Kraiburg TPE recreates all colours with high colour precision for all productions in a sample and product series.

TPEs transforming the skincare packaging sector
The skincare market is growing, attesting to the fact that more people are resorting to skincare products, ranging from eye serums to body butters and facial oils, and from creams, lotions, serums, oils, gels, scrubs, and masks for facial and body care.

An important aspect of these products is the packaging they come in. Besides ensuring that the contents are protected, the packaging is fundamental in attracting consumers to make their choice from the wide array of products.

Thus, suppliers are developing all types of packaging options to meet the growing demands of brands and consumers. As well, most cosmetic product companies will release limited edition packaging during holidays or celebration seasons to attract customers.

There are a multitude of materials that are used in the packaging and one such material that is gaining traction is TPE. Based on TPE’s ability to create an ergonomic design, and its functional and sustainable characteristics, TPE is becoming a preferred material for the packaging of skincare products.

Kraiburg TPE offers its high quality and custom-engineered TPE compounds containing variable proportions of renewable raw materials for the skincare packaging market sector.

Safety compliance an asset
In the range of the Thermolast K TPE series is the food-compliant grade that is certified with the safety regulations of EU Directive 10/2011 the FDA Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21; as well as conforming to the EN71/3 European safety standard, which make the compounds suitable for use in skincare packaging.

Besides the fact that TPEs allow for cost-effectiveness, flexibility and wide usage across various beauty applications, TPE materials are safe and eco-friendly as they are free of latex, PVC, phthalates, and heavy metals.

In the Thermolast K FC/ht series is a highly transparent compounds which offers various colourable effects. The compounds can be easily moulded to offer a variety of textures and experiences and can be processed through injection moulding and the extrusion process. With the characteristics of a soft-touch feel, the compounds are suitable for applications like bottle surfaces, flip top caps, etc.

Another example of the Thermolast K TPE compound is the FC/HE/TL series which has good elasticity. It has a wide range of hardness between 40 to 95 Shore A and good mechanical properties. It also comes in a translucent colour to offer skincare packaging a clean, minimalist look.

The series is suitable to be used in skincare packaging applications such as slit valves, bottle closures, roll-ons, ampoule heads, compact sealing, spoid of serum, etc., to meet the growing consumer demand for packaging convenience and ease of application. (Press Release)

(PRA)

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