Dow Corning has introduced a strong soft skin adhesive, MG 7-1010 Soft Skin Adhesive. This product bridges the gap between the company’s high-adhesion pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) and gentle-adhesion SSAs, to deliver strong attachment for today’s wearable medical devices.

“Wearable medical devices such as wireless monitors can have a major impact on a person’s quality of life by empowering patients to take charge of their own health and enjoy greater mobility and freedom,” said Marie Crane, global segment leader for Medical Devices, Dow Corning. “To address the requirements of this emerging market, we developed a strong, durable adhesive that is gentle even on sensitive skin. This innovative product further expands our extensive portfolio of silicone-based adhesives, and demonstrates our ongoing investment in advanced technologies for the medical device industry.”

Its peel adhesion tests on polycarbonate film show that this SSA provides more than double the adhesion force of the next-strongest SSA in Dow Corning’s portfolio. This new product provides coating process flexibility thanks to the following attributes:  its low viscosities of its two components; its primerless adhesion on substrates; as well as its suitability to be used in direct and transfer coating operations. It also offers design flexibility by enabling the coating weight and adhesion level to be fine-tuned depending on final application requirements. Potential applications include skin-adhered medical devices such as wearable monitoring devices, wound care dressings and medical tapes.

In addition to a wide array of silicone elastomers, adhesives and coatings that have proven to be safe, durable and reliable in medical device applications, Dow Corning offers expertise in medical device application development, process technology and regulatory compliance. These resources can help formulators enhance device efficacy and patient compliance, and help fabricators and coaters tailor PSAs and SSAs to the requirements of the application.

The company has also launched Dow Corning 366 35 percent Dimethicone NF Emulsion, which is formulated without parabens and octylphenyl ethoxylates (OPE), which are substances of very high concern under Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations. This versatile, aqueous emulsion, made with silicone, which is compliant with dimethicone (NF) and dimethicone (Ph. Eur.) monographs, can be used to lubricate parenteral devices and supply skin protection in surgical and incontinence wipes. It also offers excellent release properties.