| Unmodified medical grade Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) polymers often exhibit processing obstacles in twin screw compounding and tube extrusion operations. Due to the nature of these materials, processors may experience strand curling, resin agglomeration, inherent tackiness and dimensional instability when unmodified resins are used. Foster PureEase™ is a range of modified TPU polymers, specifically designed to address these common concerns and improve processing consistency and production yields. PureEase™ formulations incorporate very low loadings of processing enhancements into TPU polymers for operational improvements, while maintaining desired mechanical properties. PureEase™ is available in unfilled resins and can also be used as an additive package in TPU compounds containing pigments and fillers. Foster PureEase™ is ideally suited for tube extrusion applications where processing stability and control of ID/OD tolerances are critical. PureEase™ formulations have passed USP Class VI testing for biocompatibility. Test Methods & Results: In a comparison study conducted by Foster Corporation, PureEase™ formulations were evaluated against unmodified TPU resins in 80 Shore A and 55 Shore D. PureEase™ was also evaluated in TPU compounds with Barium Sulfate (BaSO4). Results of the study concluded that PureEase™ TPU yielded a 22% improvement in the OD over unmodified samples, while radiopaque PureEase™ experienced a 42% improvement respectively. Information provided by Foster Corporation |
