At Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East, 11 – 13 June 2019, in New York City, Covestro presented its raw materials for the healthcare industry. The company showcased its Baymedix portfolio for skin-friendly adhesives, absorbent foams and waterborne coatings; and Dureflex and Platilon product portfolios for medical films.
The company highlighted new grades of Platilon thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films. These grades of TPU film are suitable for use as an “e-textile” with embedded electronics for medical wearables. Prototypes of embedded circuits in Baymedix and Platilon materials were on display as well as a real-world application featuring Platilon TPU film utilized in a heart rate sensor.
The new Platilon TPU film grades are said to offer the following benefits:
- High mechanical strength
- Excellent conductive ink printability
- A low melting layer enables lamination on the textile with low damage to the conductive material
- High stretch ability
- Biocompatible, medical grade version available
Covestro also highlighted several polyurethane materials in its healthcare portfolio. These included:
- Dureflex and Platilon TPU film grades designed for medical wearables and applications in touch with skin, such as blood pressure cuffs and wound dressings. These materials provide high flexibility, mechanical robustness, breathability and durability.
- Baymedix textile coatings for a variety of applications including skin-friendly adhesives, absorbent foams and waterborne coatings for stretchable and resistant backings as well as seamless films for dipping applications. Baymedix materials are said to offer good mechanical properties, breathability, good haptics and adjustable adhesive strength.
- Baymedix and Platilon materials that can be combined efficiently to create advanced wound care dressings and healthcare wearables from just three components by direct coating an adhesive or foam onto film. Wound dressings made from Covestro materials are breathable, exhibit a high absorption capacity and outstanding retention. New multilayer Platilon TPU film grades allow for a wide range of design options in advanced wound care including surface texture, color, breathability, adhesive anchorage, printability, and high productivity during the coating process. Covestro showcased a conceptual dressing design for pressure ulcer prevention featuring Baymedix and Platilon materials to address pressure-, friction- and shear-reduction combined with moisture management.