At MD&M West booth 1804, Feb. 11-13, 2014, Momentive Performance Materials Inc. (MPM) will showcase its solution – fiber-reinforced liquid silicone rubber (LSR) – for designers seeking ways to enhance the ergonomics and aesthetics of wearable medical devices, as the demand for this type of product grows. 

Additionally, MPM will exhibit a variety of other liquid silicone and heat cure rubbers that can significantly increase design freedom for medical device and parts manufacturers, including its new anti-static silicone elastomers and UV-curing silicone elastomers.

Combining silicone elastomer flexibility with the high strength of textile fibers, MPM’s fiber-reinforced LSR can be a good solution to consider when elastomeric properties have to be combined with very high modulus at low elongations. 

The solution may be especially useful in applications where high torsional stiffness is required such as in devices with a wrist band configuration.  The inherent properties of silicone elastomers can provide good wearability, comfort against the skin and resistance to skin oils.  In addition, a variety of colors can be achieved with the use of pigments.

This advancement can also potentially serve as a mono-material concept, providing the design freedom and cost-efficient processability of liquid silicone rubber, while eliminating the need for a composite fabric layer.  As such, fiber-reinforced LSR may be a candidate for applications such as membranes, flexible robotic “skeletons” that mimic the human body and numerous bio-mechanical applications.

Another area where MPM is removing limitations is with anti-static materials.  Traditionally, carbon black fillers have been used to achieve anti-static properties in silicone rubbers, limiting the material color to black.  MPM’s new anti-static silicone elastomers may be translucent or colored, and provide the excellent mechanical properties and thermal resistance of silicones. 

The newly developed anti-static elastomers include high consistency elastomers (HCE) and anti-static LSRs, which may be considered for use in applications where dust pick-up reduction is critical, such as keyboard covers, elastomeric keypads and buttons, soft-touch features on devices, as well as in electronic applications where anti-static properties without an electrostatic charge are desired.