Formulated Material

Challenge

Develop a disposable sleeve for a surgical instrument

A customer wanted to improve the design of a medical device used to cut and cauterize tissue in minimally invasive surgeries
The goal was to make the device reusable by creating a disposable, biocompatible, flexible sleeve cover for the surgical instrument
The new sleeve needed to be thin (0.55 mm), resistant to tearing and heat, reduce coefficient friction, provide ease of installation and removal, and maintain physician mobility
Other companies proposed a silicone compound that lacked consistency and durability jeopardizing the effectiveness and integrity of the surgical procedure and clinical outcomes

Collaborate to optimize the chemical properties of the material

Trelleborg’s product and material science engineers collaborated with the customer’s technical team to optimize the material’s chemical properties
To meet the heat resistance need, they selected fluoroelastomer (FKM)
To address the difficulty of creating a thin cross section from FKM, the team developed two materials with three hardness ranges for customer evaluation and performance analysis testing
Variations in the material modulus across the two material sets provided a range of resistance options to evaluate tactile feel
A surface coating was added to address the low friction requirement for ease of installation to the instrument

A material that met the customer’s needs in every setting.

Nine sample configurations were evaluated and adjusted to deliver the final high-performance sealing solution
The custom-formulated compound delivered a 277 percent increase in tear strength and 287 percent increase in elongation, demonstrating significantly improved resilience
The customer selected Trelleborg to take the product through prototyping and production
The solution’s value proposition for surgeons increased by improving clinical outcomes and lowering total cost of ownership