Sound TPE solution for hearing aid applications

Hearing loss affects billions of people globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2050, hearing loss will be a problem for 2.5 billion people worldwide.

While causes of hearing disability usually ranges from an aging population and prenatal conditions to limited healthcare access, particularly in developing countries, the WHO finds that unsafe listening practices will expose over a billion young adults to permanent, preventable, hearing impairment.

Demand is increasing for hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive technologies to allow these devices to improve and make sounds audible hearing in a hearing-impaired person. Hearing aids can vary in size, special features and the way they are placed in the ear. Performance of these devices depends largely on the design and material used.

KRAIBURG TPE, a leading global manufacturer of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for a variety of industries, offers its TPE compounds for hearing devices such as hearing aid applications.

THERMOLAST® H - adherence to safety standards

KRAIBURG TPE’s breakthrough THERMOLAST® H is the ideal material solution for healthcare and medical applications as well as hearing devices. TPE compounds can be easily processed by overmolding or co-extrusion with most common thermoplastics, without requiring additional adhesives, and allowing for a faster and more cost-effective processing.

The compound meets worldwide material requirements such as cytotoxicity according to ISO 10993-5, GB/T 16886.5, REACH and RoHS Directive, and are free of PVC, silicon, or latex. It can be sterilized at autoclave 121°C or by EtO.

The connector or TPE sealing will present a clean and sleek feel to the devices, thanks to its haptics and soft touch surface characteristic for outer sealing. Other characteristics of the TPE compounds that display good sealing performance including excellent compression set and resealing properties. They are also available in various hardness range, together with in-house pre-coloring options, subject to specific project requirements.

Additionally, the TPE compounds are customizable in meeting the customer’s end needs and requirements. Besides the materials for hearing aids application, KRAIBURG TPE’s recent sustainability innovations include a specially developed material solution for automotive, consumer, and industry applications comprising post-consumer recycled (PCR) and post-industrial recycled (PIR) content.