TPEs for smart medical devices

KRAIBURG TPE is meeting the material requirements for smart medical devices that are becoming important in today’s busy lifestyles.

Primarily developed for remote primary care with high compliance to treatment management, today’s smart medical devices are closing the gap between consumers and healthcare providers. This is evident especially during the recent pandemic where the risk of infection has limited healthcare capacities and facilities and the healthcare personnel’s abilities to provide in-person assessments and diagnostics.

Smart medical devices such as mobile EKG monitors, portable gluten testers, health-oriented smart watches, wireless glucometers and wireless blood pressure testers - all provide convenience to busy schedules and alternative health monitoring options. Further devices such as brain sensing headbands, teeth whitening devices, temporal thermometers and fertility tracking bracelets facilitate shorter and fewer hospital visits, while lowering healthcare costs. The Internet of Things (IoT) makes it possible for the medical devices sector to innovate rapidly. The AI-equipped, IoT-enabled wearable or hand-held devices provide ease of use and mobility, speed, reliability and accuracy of cloud-stored data and patient records for better healthcare management.

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) play a vital role in the smart health and medical devices sector, allowing for ergonomic, economical and functional designs as well as cost competitiveness in the market. In this area, KRAIBURG TPE’s custom-engineered THERMOLAST® K and THERMOLAST® M TPE compounds fulfil a diverse range of design specifications for smart health and medical devices.

 The THERMOLAST® M medical compounds feature excellent resealing properties, compression set characteristic, low friction and high elasticity to meet different requirements for various applications - such as portable urinating devices, syringing caps, syringe seals, etc.

The medical grade THERMOLAST® M TPE are free of animal-based ingredients, latex, PVC, and phthalates, and sterilizable by means of autoclaving beta radiation, gamma radiation or EtO.

It also complies with the VDI guideline 2017 for medical-grade plastics (MGPs), issued by the Association of German Engineers (VDI), and the Reach and RoHS standards. 

Food-grade, global industry-standard compliant

THERMOLAST® K complies with the global standards for food-contact safety such as the EU 10/2011, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21, and the EN71/3 European safety standard. Its general characteristics include high thermal stability, scratch and abrasion resistance, soft touch and silky surface, and many more. Its diverse coloring options make it suitable for various applications including the grip of a temporal thermometer, headband pad, health-watch band, and other portable and wearable smart devices.