At Medtec China 2016, Wacker debuts its SILPURAN AUX 8250 RO silicone masterbatch, which contain a barium sulfate contrast medium for formulating silicone compounds for radio-opaque tubes and catheters.
To ensure that tubes and catheters made from silicone always show up on x-ray charts, a contrast medium is incorporated into the silicone rubber. That is the only way to render the silicone rubber opaque to x-rays.
Shown for the first time in China, SILPURAN AUX 8250 RO from Wacker serves as a silicone masterbatch and has a barium sulfate content of 75%. The latter is a powdery contrast medium, which is frequently used in radiology. Compounding consists in incorporating the masterbatch into the silicone material directly, without any additional processing stages.
This approach offers numerous advantages, explained Wacker. Because the contrast medium comes predispersed in silicone, SILPURAN AUX 8250 RO makes mixing much easier: there is no troublesome powder to disperse. Furthermore, the high concentration of barium sulfate allows producers to easily vary the dosage of the active ingredient in the silicone rubber to meet individual needs.
SILPURAN AUX 8250 RO has passed selected tests for biocompatibility according to ISO 10993 and US Pharmacopeia Class VI. It can be blended with virtually all heat-curing solid silicone rubbers and can be extruded into tubes and molded into parts.
Medtec China 2016 is currently running in Shanghai, China until October 28.
Source : China Plastic & Rubber Journal
