WACKER Presents New Silicone Product Range for Medical Applications

Munich, Munich-based chemicals manufacturer WACKER has expanded its silicone product portfolio with a special product range for medical use. As their trade name SILPURAN® implies, these products feature ultra-high purity. Their special property profile targets medical-sector needs such as biocompatibility – an often required feature of today’s medical products. Applications include products for orthopedic applications and prostheses, disposable syringe and dialyzer seals, medical tubing for artificial respiration equipment, stoppers for injection fluid bottles, anesthetic face masks and catheter bags as well as gels for coating wound dressings. By launching its SILPURAN® range, WACKER has consolidated its position as a development partner for innovative and reliable medical-sector solutions.

The SILPURAN® range comprises silicone grades boasting a variety of different property profiles. SILPURAN® 6600, for example, is of particular interest to the medical sector. This liquid silicone rubber exhibits an extremely low friction coefficient although it contains no liquid or oil that is exuded. Its low surface friction considerably eases the processor’s task of assembling complex medical equipment.

Self-adhesive specialty silicones such as SILPURAN® 6700 und SILPURAN® 6701 address cost and safety issues – currently the medical sector’s focus of attention. They bond securely to thermo¬plastics such as polybutylenterephthalate and polycarbonate without the need for adhesion promoters. This allows for fully automatic and cost-efficient production of medical composite parts by the two-component injection molding technique.

Adhesive bandages and wound dressings coated with SILPURAN® are ideal for medical dressings due to their good breathability and vapor permeability. At the same time, the wound is protected from external influences, such as bacteria and water. Wound dressings with SILPURAN® can be removed easily and gently without causing trauma to the wound and so actively promote the healing process.

SILPURAN® – A New Brand for Medical Applications
Due to ever-stringent sterility requirements, many medical products are manufactured under clean-room conditions these days. As contamination of used materials could have serious consequences for the patient, it is imperative that raw materials conform to the highest purity standards.

WACKER employs special measures in producing and packaging its SILPURAN® silicones to ensure these requirements are met. It uses ultra-fine filters at the manufacturing stage to maintain extremely high product purity standards. All SILPURAN® solid silicone rubbers are visually inspected and antistatically packaged in a clean room. Similar measures are taken for other SILPURAN® products, such as liquid and room-temperature-curing silicone rubbers, to ensure high safety standards for processors and consumers.

SILPURAN® silicone grades do not contain organic plasticizers. They withstand radiation and are simple to sterilize, e.g. with hot steam (autoclave). All products satisfy the medical-sector’s product safety and biocompatibility requirements. They are tested in accordance with ISO 10993 and USP (United States Pharmacopeia) class VI.