Challenge

Develop a trocar seal material meeting four critical properties

  • A customer was developing a new trocar seal
    - Trocars are surgical instruments placed in the body during laparoscopy
    - Trocar seals prevent air from escaping the abdominal, provide surgeons access for surgical instruments, and maintain air pressure to give them a clear viewing area
  • The selected sealing material wasn’t meeting requirements
  • Surgical instruments caught on the material during insertion tearing the seal. This reduced the physician’s control while also disrupting their view of the surgical area increasing risk to patients.
  • The material needed to maintain a minimum compression set to ensure consistent performance
  • The material also needed a low coefficient of friction (CoF) to support accurate manipulation of instruments and prevent snags and tearing
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Solution

A custom formulation and process for easier production

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  • Trelleborg worked on a formulation to meet the property requirements
  • The material selected was a polyisoprene (synthetic natural rubber) which has very high elongation and tear strength, good compression-set resistance, and is difficult to cut
  • Using the existing polyisoprene as a base, the team customized the formula to match all the customer’s performance requirements, except for the low CoF
  • In a secondary process, Trelleborg’s proprietary Quniton® surface modification technology lowered the CoF on the seal while improving the manufacturing process
  • This secondary process also helped maximize other properties required from the material while keeping costs down
  • The team also improved the seal’s geometry
  • The new design ensured a consistently reliable product could be manufactured at scale

Results

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

  • Trelleborg delivered a cost-effective material compound that accelerated the product’s speed-to-market
  • Trelleborg helped produce a seal that enhanced trocar performance, making it a superior solution for physicians in surgery and a leader in the marketplace
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