U.S. Develops Medical TPE that Can Replace Latex and PVC

In recent years, there have been reports of latex products causing allergic reactions, and some cases have caused lawsuits. Therefore, people are always looking for a new material that can replace latex. Recently, U.S. scientists have developed a new thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that can be used to replace latex and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for medical products.

The new TPE grades, code-named MP1580L1 and MP1871-R, have a Shore hardness of 37 and 35, respectively. MP1580L1 meets the requirements of USPVI, and MP1871-R meets the requirements of ISO10993. All of them can be used instead of latex to make medical products without causing allergic reactions. Traditional latex products are generally milky white or yellow and need to be vulcanized. It is a typical thermosetting material. The new thermoplastic material is transparent in texture and can be extruded by extrusion. The TPE material graded PM1848 has a Shore hardness of 75 and is mainly used as a replacement for PVC for medical hoses and other molded products. (chemical industry)