Oxygen Barrier TPE is designed for medical applications.
Press Release Summary:
With performance equivalent to thermoset butyl rubber, oxygen barrier thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) ensure protection against oxygen permeation in healthcare packaging and delivery systems. Material properties, made to be custom-formulated, promote design freedom and potential for part consolidation. Able to be processed using injection molding as well as extrusion and blow molding, materials will bond to polypropylene substrate and have no halogens or heavy metals.
Original Press Release:
GLS Corp. Previews Oxygen Barrier TPE Technology for Medical Applications
Thermoplastic Materials Mirror Barrier Performance of Thermoset Butyl Rubber While Providing Superior Cleanliness, Design Freedom, and Quality
NEW YORK - June 12, 2007 - GLS Corp., a global leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of high-performance, custom-formulated thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), has announced its upcoming oxygen barrier technology for healthcare packaging and delivery systems. This ultra-clean TPE technology provides high oxygen barrier performance that is up to ten times better than conventional TPEs and equivalent to traditional thermoset butyl rubber. At the same time, it delivers the exceptional design freedom and potential for part consolidation of thermoplastics. Further, the ability to injection-mold TPEs streamlines manufacturing and improves consistency by eliminating secondary operations required with thermosets.
The new materials, which are designed to be custom-formulated, are currently available for sampling to customers.
"Thermosets have been used in barrier applications for many years, primarily because there hasn't been anything better - until now," said Walter Ripple, director of sales and marketing for GLS Corp. "Our TPEs are the next generation of barrier technology, offering customers a host of advantages over thermosets. This technology will enable new advancements in packaging design while ensuring the highest level of protection from oxygen permeation."
Clean Chemistry
Inherent cleanliness is a key area in which GLS Corp.'s TPEs can improve upon traditional barrier materials. By eliminating the use of halogens and heavy metals used in curing thermoset rubber, the new TPEs avoid the risk of leaching into the contents of medical containers or contamination of clean systems, which are increasingly used for disposable devices. In drug-contact applications, the TPEs are very inert and demonstrate an extremely low level of extractables and leachables meeting Japanese Pharmacopeia Chapter 59.
Design Freedom
TPEs also provide enhanced design flexibility. They can be processed using high-pressure injection molding, which helps in thin-wall parts and complex geometries, as well as extrusion and blow molding. While thermoset rubbers need reinforcing fillers that limit them in physical attributes such as clarity and density, TPE's do not require fillers and can be reinforced using plastics. This allows them to maintain lower specific gravity and clarity/translucence. The oxygen barrier TPEs will bond to a polypropylene substrate, permitting overmolding that opens up many opportunities for part consolidation and design innovation.
Consistent Quality
Further, TPEs can improve the safety and consistency of the final product. Injection molding is a one-step process, whereas producing thermosets requires three or four steps - compression molding, trimming, washing, siliconizing, and sometimes manual assembly. Each step introduces the possibility of compromised quality, which can add up to wide variations in the finished product. No matter how many precautions are put in place, complaints are often generated about contamination found in the end product.
About GLS Corp.
GLS Corp., a global leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of high-performance, custom-formulated thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), is headquartered in the United States near Chicago in McHenry, Ill. The company specializes in the manufacture of application-specific soft and ultra-soft TPEs for injection molding and extrusion. GLS has supplied specialty TPEs to the industry since 1979, and is recognized as a worldwide leader in TPE technology solutions. Specific products sold by GLS include proprietary DYNAFLEX® TPE compounds based on KRATON® polymers (available in injection molding and extrusion, as well as medical and FDA grades); VERSAFLEX® TPE specialty alloys (available in soft-touch, lightweight, ultra-soft, ultra-clear, and overmolding grades); VERSALLOY(TM) TPV alloys; and VERSOLLAN(TM) TPU alloy compounds. GLS is also the exclusive distributor of KRATON compounds and polymers for the compounding market in the United States, and also distributes KRATON compounds and polymers globally.
® DYNAFLEX and VERSAFLEX are registered trademarks of GLS Corp.
DYNAFLEX compounds contain KRATON Polymers.
® KRATON is a registered trademark of KRATON Polymers U.S. LLC.
(TM) VERSALLOY is a DSM - GLS alliance product; the name VERSALLOY is a trademark of GLS Corp.
(TM) VERSOLLAN is a trademark of GLS and contains high performance thermoplastic urethanes.
