Considering medical grade silicone for your industry’s application? Flex Technologies can help!

Whether you’re creating a new medical device or you want to ensure that your medical facility has the utmost safety and quality to protect patients, medical-grade silicone hoses and tubes are the top choice.

Why choose a medical-grade silicone product for your industry? Medical devices continue to innovate, thus they’re exposed to a broad range of chemicals, environments, and temperatures, demanding a material that is durable and long-lasting, while remaining hygienic and safe for those using it.

If medical grade silicone tubing and hoses have piqued your interest in creating a truly functional and safe product, customize what you need with Flex Technologies. With a wide variety of customizable features, we’re able to meet the requirements of your industry. Learn more about medical-grade silicone in today’s post.

What Determines A Material That’s Medical Grade?

Biocompatibility is integral when it comes to a material being medical grade. A large variety of medical applications involve contact with human tissue, so you need a material that is compatible without reacting to living tissue or other materials.

Medical grade silicone is tested for its biocompatibility in order to be labeled as medical grade. Medical devices that use silicone hoses and tubing include pumps, IVs, feeding divides, and a variety of implants.

Medical Grade Testing

Beyond biocompatibility, there is a range of tests performed to better classify medical grade materials. The US Pharmacopeia Convention (USP) tests biological responses to plastics, elastomers, and other materials to understand how they may react to human tissue. Additionally, their standards are reinforced by the FDA and are recognized in over 140 countries.

ISO 10993 is another form of medical-grade testing from another highly accredited testing agency. The ISO ensures that for each medical grade material being produced, their purpose fits accordingly to the requirements of the application.

Improve Patient Safety With Medical Grade Silicone Products

Medical grade silicone has been the reigning material because of its unrivaled performance. Not only does it reduce and eliminate polymer residues, but these silicone hoses are highly chemical- and heat-resistant and have a low permeability to gases, making them safe and functional for a wide variety of medical applications.

Inert

As we touched on earlier, the biocompatibility of a material is one of the most important aspects of a medical-grade material. Silicone is naturally inert or non-reactive to human tissue and other chemicals. When other materials are more reactive, it can cause infections or irritation to patients.

Chemical And Temperature Resistant

A major benefit of silicone, in general, is its resistance to both chemicals and extreme temperatures, which is of great benefit to the medical industry. A myriad of liquids and materials can be transported through silicone tubes and hosing without degradation or affecting their integrity.

Silicone is also amazing for handling extreme temperatures — this means that seals stay intact and the tubing remains supple and flexible no matter what temperatures may occur.

Non-Porous

Many other comparable materials, including rubber, are porous, which can immediately affect the safety of the medical application or device because tiny holes in porous materials can harbor and allow bacteria, debris, and other microorganisms to become trapped. This leads to both surface irregularities and potential infections.

medical grade silicone is non-porous, making it safe to use for medical applications.

Safety And Health Improves With Medical Grade Silicone

At the end of the day, when medical facilities, products, and devices implement medical grade silicone, health and wellness is transformed and patients get better care. Medical grade silicone defends against bacterial and microorganisms, reducing the chance of infection. It’s one of the most biocompatible materials available, its inertness makes it able to transport all the liquids a patient may need without affecting the overall quality over time, and it can be used for a wide range of temperature and chemical applications.

Find The Best Silicone Medical Products At Flex Technologies!

Flex Technologies has a wide variety of silicone hoses including those for the medical industry, so if you’re ready to ditch your sub-par products, we can help! Completely customize your silicone hose to meet the exact requirements of your industry’s application, to ensure the safety and reliability that only silicone can provide.

To learn more about medical-grade silicone, connect with Flex Technologies today!