An extensive medical series in Technor Apex’s Flexalloy family of high-performance vinyl elastomers has been introduced to international markets.

This is in addition to the company’s broad range of specialty vinyl formulations for medical and potable-water uses along with the full array of standard grades.
“Today the sheer diversity of our product range stands in sharpest relief in Asia, the world’s fastest-growing market for medical devices,” says Peter M Galland, industry manager for regulated products.  “Many Apex medical compounds available from Teknor Apex’s Singapore Polymer Corp (SPC) subsidiary have no counterparts from competing Asian suppliers in terms of performance.  Even our more standard offerings are often unique in the region because they are already compliant with FDA and other stringent standards.”   
This uniqueness extends to potable-water applications such as the tubing that connects sinks and dishwashers to hot and cold water pipes or is used in soft drink and beer dispensers.  “A substantial amount of production for potable water tubing has migrated to China and nearby countries,” Galland says.  “The manufacturers rely on SPC for their compounds because it is the only supplier in the region whose products are listed for such applications by NSF.”
Galland cites a number of specialised product series in the Apex vinyl range that are unique or nearly so in Asia, and in some cases throughout the world: These are non-crazing compounds for tubing and other vinyl products that may be in contact with devices made of polystyrene, ABS, acrylic, or polycarbonate; TPU/vinyl blends with up to 30 per cent thermoplastic polyurethane content; gamma-resistant formulations that reduce or eliminate discoloration and degradation in devices sterilised by gamma or e-beam irradiation; Lipid-resistant grades for tubing that is in contact with chemotherapy and other drugs whose lipid constituents extract conventional plasticisers from vinyl; vinyl with alternative plasticisers for device manufacturers with special needs or preferences; Dairy compounds and low-taste/low-odour formulations for tubing that conveys beverages or beer.
Flexalloy vinyl elastomer compounds are tougher than the conventional flexible vinyl used in medical devices and provide rubber-like performance at lower cost than workhorse polyolefin and styrenic TPEs, according to Galland.