Feb 2 2016
Macro trends including an aging population, technological advancements and increased healthcare spending promise to boost global medical device industry growth by 6.1 percent annually over the next two years.
To help OEMs, fabricators and designers take advantage of this growth, Dow Corning has launched three new advanced bio-medical grade Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSRs) (PDF) materials. Available in Shore A hardnesses of 40, 50 and 70, these high-performance products comprise the new Silastic® Q7-78XX series of elastomers. In addition to these new offerings, the company is also launching the new Dow Corning® C6-7XX Liquid Silicone Rubber series of materials for short term or non-implant applications with three initial products. These additions further expand the company’s already robust portfolio of silicone elastomers, offering customers fresh new possibilities for designing innovative, next-generation medical device applications. Dow Corning is spotlighting the new materials here at MD&M West (Booth #2127).
"Dow Corning is renowned for providing safe, high-performance silicone elastomers to the healthcare industry,” said Gary Lord, global strategic marketing director for Healthcare at Dow Corning. “We continue to expand and enhance our broad portfolio of medical grade technologies so customers can enjoy greater choices from a single supplier. These proven, compliant materials are supported by our deep expertise in materials technology and are helping to shape the future of medical device innovation."
The new silicone elastomer solutions share a uniform chemistry optimized at the molecular level. This uniformity helps to ensure highly reproducible processing and performance across medical device designs. Dow Corning manufactures these new silicones, and its full elastomers portfolio, under strict change and process control systems to help ensure high quality and consistency.
At MD&M West, Dow Corning is featuring two exhibits. One, the "Inside Si" interactive kiosk, is designed to educate attendees about medical device applications in which silicone is used today. The second exhibit is a hands-on elastomers display that presents the company’s liquid silicone rubber material. Dow Corning is also highlighting at its booth its expanding range of Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) (PDF) that target a wide variety of applications, such as medical device attachments and wearable technology.
A global leader in silicon-based technology with more than 60 years of experience developing and commercializing silicone materials for healthcare applications, Dow Corning helps customers innovate in medical device design and manufacturing with silicone elastomers, liquid silicone rubbers, adhesives and tubing, building on scientific know-how coupled with global market and regulatory experience.