PHILADELPHIA—Cleveland-based Lubrizol Corp. is introducing a new flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane product that could soon find its way into medical devices and hospitals.
Instead of rubber, which becomes rigid after thermoforming, the new TPU is extremely flexible, in addition to a low limiting oxygen index, low smoke, low toxicity and low halogen content, making it ideal for use in devices and even hospital cabling, said Uwe Winzen, global marketing manager for Lubrizol LifeScience Polymers.
"It really started with people wanting to have something that's like rubber, so we made some softer materials and then they said, well, can we get some other properties, like flame retardants?" Winzen said. "We can add it to pretty much anything, any of our existing technologies."
Unveiled at the at MD&M East trade show, held June 18-20 in Philadelphia, the highly customizable compound can be processes with conventional extrusion or injection molding and can be designed for a soft, matte or glossy finish.