Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

High Purity Elastomers speed Regulatory Compliance of Speech Therapy Devices, increase Input and Enhance Toughness

April 12, 2010 By Laura Carrabine

A supplier of tools to aid in speech therapy switched from conventional thermoplastic elastomers to Medalist® medical elastomers from Teknor Apex Company, citing advantages in compound selection, blending, molding, and resistance to chewing and other rugged treatment.

ARK Therapeutic Services, Inc. is a company that designs, manufactures, and distributes speech and occupational therapy tools and other healthcare products. Many of its devices are for use only by professional therapists or trained caregivers to help correct sensory oral motor problems by stimulating muscles that correlate with specific movements of the lips, tongue, jaw, etc. ARK Therapeutic Services now uses Medalist elastomers for the soft tips of oral probes, a complete line of chew tools, and the Z-Vibe® vibratory tool. Non-speech applications of Medalist elastomers include lids for the Sip-Tip® liquid feeding cup and the E-Z Eye Med® dispenser for eye medicine.

The company’s switch to Medalist compounds was prompted by its plan to obtain the CE mark, which requires subjecting each raw material to costly and stringent biocompatibility tests to meet European Union standards. 

The company claims the Medalist compounds are easier to process, cycle times are shorter, and there is no need for processing aids, additive lubricants, or silicone releases.

One unlooked-for advantage of the Medalist compounds was their superiority in the special type of toughness required for oral tools to endure during repetitive biting and chewing exercises required to improve feeding skills. 

Recently ARK Therapeutic Services began redesigning its Z-Vibe tool to make it a one-piece product of all-elastomer construction. Until now this has been a two-part product, with an elastomeric tip and a polypropylene handle. Inside the handle is a tiny battery-powered motor that provides the vibration.

ARK Therapeutic Services began switching to Medalist compounds six months ago. It credits Teknor Apex for its technical support and responsiveness, including speed in providing samples for product development. The company uses three different grades from the Medalist Versatile Series, with Shore A durometer ranging from 43 to 87. As with all materials that ARK Therapeutic Services uses for oral tools, Medalist compounds are compliant with regulations of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and are latex- and phthalate-free.

The Medalist program for medical manufacturers now includes 28 standard high-purity elastomer compounds, along with a comprehensive body of test data and resources for designers and processors. Compounds are available with Shore A hardness from 5 to 87 and include clear, translucent, and opaque formulations.

ARK Therapeutic Services
www.arktherapeutic.com

Medalist Elastomers
www.medalistmd.com

Teknor Apex
www.teknnotapex.com

::Design World::

Related Articles Read More >

Dexcom One
How Dexcom’s portfolio goes beyond highly-anticipated next-gen G7
Steris
Steris rises on Street-beating Q4, sets fiscal 2023 guidance
Rockley Photonics
Rockley Photonics announces $81.5M private placement
Pear Therapeutics reSET_Check_In (1)
Digital therapeutics open up new opportunities in medicine

DeviceTalks Weekly.

May 13, 2022
Our Pre-Post-DeviceTalks Boston episode, also MedtronicTalks replay with Gastro CMO Austin Chiang
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech