Freudenberg Medical offers new TPE for biopharma apps

CARPINTERIA, Calif.—Freudenberg Medical L.L.C., a segment of the German global technology business Freudenberg Group, now offers "HelixFlex" thermoplastic elastomer tubing in response to growing demand for medical applications.

According to Freudenberg Medical, the new high-purity TPE tubing is for fluid transfer in biopharmaceutical applications. The tubing represents an expansion of Freudenberg Medical's existing portfolio of silicone tubing for drug and vaccine manufacturing; filling and sampling; and peristaltic pumping applications.

Essentially, the new TPE serves as a worthy substitute for the difficult-to-find medical grade silicone, according to the firm.

"Silicone has always been the gold standard for biopharma applications, but with silicone material in short supply over the past few years, Freudenberg wanted to offer global customers another single-use tubing alternative," said David Schwass, director of sales and marketing for biopharma at Carpinteria-based Freudenberg Medical.

According to Schwass, HelixFlex is a versatile product that can be welded to existing tubing lines and is heat-sealed for safe fluid transport.

The TPE tubing offers different sterilization options, including autoclave, gamma irradiation, X-ray and e-beam.

While silicone often is the first choice for customers, TPEs do boast greater recycling capability as a more environmentally friendly option, the company said in an Oct. 3 news release.

"We are proud to launch our new HelixFlex off-the-shelf tubing product line, which combines all benefits in one product—it's weldable, sealable, translucent and can be used in peristaltic pumping applications," said Rudi Gall, general manager and director of corporate marketing at Freudenberg Medical.

With HelixFlex, Gall said Freudenberg is able to complement its silicone-based HelixMark and PharmaFocus Premium tubing lines, making for one-stop shopping for customers.

HelixFlex is made in a certified clean room and lot traceability is included in every package.

Freudenberg Medical maintains 11 manufacturing operations and more than 2,300 employees worldwide, making molded components and tubing for drug coatings, finished devices, composite catheter shafts and hypotubes for minimally invasive, handheld and catheter-based devices.