Uses Of Silicone In Medical Field

What is Silicone? Silicone is a biocompatible material that can be used in the medical field. To treat various disease silicone materials is used and it is one of the most essential material in the medical applications. The grade of silicone used in the medical applications is regulated by FDA. This particular material is used as an implanting material in the body. They may be short term or long term implantations. Another type of silicone is non implantable but used in a variety of different applications such as in the preparation of gloves and other essential products. Products manufactured in the health care industry require lots of care and attention and they should follow stringent methods stipulated in FDA for medicinal purposes.

For the people involved in the production of the medical equipments, selection of raw materials according to the prescribed standard often becomes a challenge. Since they are used to treat the people who are in critical condition, selecting raw materials to use in their production of medical equipments require highest possible precautions and care. Often, it is a joint effort of designers, engineers, and managers who carefully examine the properties of different materials used in the medical field in order to check the bio-compatible nature of the materials. A wide spectrum of materials is examined, to use it in the medical field. To know more details readers can visit baronrubber.com.au.

The properties of the Silicone are found to be extremely useful not only in the medical field, but a wide array of industries such as aerospace, electrical and constructional industries. Silicone is a used in various pharmaceutical industries, medical products like a urological catheter, gloves, valves and O rings and surgical incision drains and other products like respiratory devices. It is one of the expensive raw material used in the manufacture of medical products. Silicone is used mainly for the production of breast implants. It is one of the main ingredients in the reconstruction of natural tissue implants.

What made silicone so unique and useful for the medical industry? Silicone is one of those polymers that are non irritating and non sensitive material, quite suitable to use in the medical applications. Bio-compatible means it is friendly to use to in the medical applications without causing any inconvenience to human beings when used in medical treatment procedures. Silicones have very low inter molecular reaction with a low surface tension that has made this as a non reactive material. This property of non reactivity made this material as one of the most suitable material for the medical application. Due to its low surface tension properties, silicone can be used in the pharma industries as well. Due to its low liquid surface tension it can form thin layers on any surface easily and this property has been utilized for the medical applications. This wonderful polymer can spread like a thin layer that is similar to the skin layer, and this property has been used in the plastic surgeries and reconstruction surgeries.

The key features of the silicone are as follows, its power to spread into very thin layers, a thin film of the polymer that is transparent and strong. This property assists the needles and syringes to cover a coat of silicone polymer. The product has got lubricant property, Emulsifying property, and as an anti foam diluent.

The most important property of silicones are found, when it is mixed with poly di methyl Isiloxanes resulting in a material that are soft and resilient, extremely suitable for various medical devices used in the treatment of diverse diseases. The same combination results in the production of cushioning material that can be used as a soft skin adhesive, non adherent wound dressing material, and a drug material release material. The Gel formation of this compound produces a material having softness, resilience, tackiness, transparent, temperature sustainability, and it also forms the foaming material.

The Elastomers produced by the same combination, but with different curing techniques gives rise to different material that are known for their properties such as rubber like characters extremely suitable to use as a human implantable material. Due to its resistance to heat and adaptability of cross linking, the product can be used as the medical adhesive.

Silicone polymers can be converted into Elstomers by the conversion of the covalent bonds in silicone. The physical properties of Elastomers can be controlled by adjusting the cross linking density and controlling reinforced fillers. The resulting materials can be used as a raw material for the production of medical equipments. The products are manufactured using injection moulding, investment casting, and pipes are produced by the extrusion method.

Author Bio

The writer is an expert in the field of Silicone & rubber technology with focus on Mining Screens.

This Article Is Written By a Professional Author