Medical

From the healthcare professionals working in hospitals to the patients who rely on their care, they all depend on safe, reliable medical equipment to save lives. For over 30 years, the medical industry has trusted Kraton to deliver high-performing enhanced rubber segment (ERS) and styrenic block copolymers (SBC) solutions to meet their stringent needs for exceptional quality and safety. Medical supplies formulated with ERS polymers and SBC polymers provide a variety of unique benefits.

Medical

Literature

Kraton™ G1645
for Medical IV FilmsDownload PDF Brochure Medical ApplicationsDownload PDF Brochure

Benefits

  • Are free of plasticizers
  • Resolves Type I allergies caused by natural rubber.
  • Can replace natural rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
  • Improve end-of-life recyclability
Products for the Medical Industry

Kraton styrenic block copolymers (SBC) offer clarity, flexibility, resilience, strength, durability, and easy thermoplastic processing capabilities. These SBC’s are also environmentally safe and recyclable. The products deliver outstanding cost-performance benefits in producing tough, transparent medical bags, tubing, and a broad range of compounds for medical applications.

Kraton ERS polymers offer improved processability and flexibility. These polymers are highly compatible with polypropylene (PP), allowing formulations of extrudable and moldable compounds with improved flow and reduced hardness without plasticizing oils. The ERS SEBS and PP blends can withstand most sterilization methods and are well-suited for producing high-clarity medical bags, tubes, and flexible films.

Designing for Recyclability

Learn how Kraton polymers can help brands maximize the use of recycled content in their product design.

Download Brochure

Medical Applications

Close up of medical drip or IV drip made with hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer (HSBC)
Medical Bags

Kraton hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer (HSBC) polymers are used in single or multi-layer medical films. The polymers are typically compounded with polypropylene (PP) at various ratios for different layers to serve specific functional requirements. It can also be used to compatibilize different polymers or as tie layers for multi-layer films.

Key Benefits
  • Enhanced Patient Safety​
  • Superior End Product Performance
  • Enhanced Aesthetics with Glass-like Optics​
  • Proven Compliance With Stringent Sterilization and Performance Requirements​​​
  • Improved End Of Life Recyclability​
Medical Industry: Nurse adjusts IV drip tubing made with ERS polymers and SBC polymers
Medical Tubing

Kraton SEBS polymers are ideal for flexible medical tubing due to its low Shore A hardness, high polypropylene (PP) compatibility, and ease of processing. Specifically, plasticizer-free Kraton™ G1646 is combined with random copolymer polypropylene (RCPP) to be an industry-proven alternative to PVC. The tough material passes all ISO 10993 biological toxicity testing for use in medical applications and is UPS Class VI compliant.

Key Benefits​
  • Enhanced Patient Safety​
  • Solvent bondable
  • Drop-in Assembly for Existing Production Lines​​​
  • Consistent Flow Rate Performance In Tubing​
  • Improved End Of Life Recyclability
Medical test tubes and gloved hands
ERS Polymers in Medical Containers

In the past, the medical industry replaced many glass bottles to hold IV fluids and medicines with polyolefin containers. Today, the trend is toward the use of polypropylene (PP) modified with ERS polymers with SEBS due to the latter’s ability to enhance clarity and impact resistance at low temperatures.

Key Benefits​
  • Outstanding clarity​
  • High impact resistance at low and room temperatures
  • Good mechanical strength
  • Low extractables​
Nurse wearing scrubs preparing medical instruments in operating theater
SBC Polymers in Medical Compounds

Kraton SBC polymers can be formulated into various elastomeric compounds that are flexible, stretchable, and elastic for a wide range of medical devices. All standard thermoplastic processes can process the compounds. In addition, it can replace natural rubber, silicone rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or PVC without the potential risks of allergens, crosslinking agents, additives, hydrolysis, or plasticizers. SBC polymers are used in some unique applications to modify PS, PP, and polyamide. Additionally, it can serve as a compatibilizer or tie layer.

Kraton styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) polymers are used in adhesives and medical patches. The oil-extended hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer (HSBC) gels are ideal for cushions, padding, or medical beds.

Applications
  • Surgical drapery​
  • Needle shield
  • Dental dam​
  • Drip chamber​
  • Exercise band​
  • Syringe plunger tip​
  • Respiratory equipment​
  • Orthopedic part​
  • Medical patch​

Enhancing Healthcare Safety & Sustainability

Kraton Enhanced Rubber Segment (ERS) Technology

Learn How