Medical Grade Adhesive

Medical devices present manufacturers with a special challenge: As well as being health-compatible, the materials used must allow high-precision production and permanent joining and must withstand various sterilization methods. This applies especially to the adhesives used for assembly.

Medical grade adhesive can be used to bond medical products, such as syringes, dialysis filters, blood bags and tube connections. These medical products are usually made from a range of synthetic materials, including plastics that are hard to bond, such as PEEK, PE and PP. Common plastics such as PVC and ABS, on the other hand, are well suited to bonding.

Disposable medical products are often produced in large quantities. In addition to their mechanical bond strength, rapid curing of the adhesives used is important to allow high volume production. For transparent and UV-permeable materials, UV-curing medical grade adhesive can be used. For UV-impermeable substrates we recommend LED curing. For visual quality inspection, fluorescent versions of our medical grade adhesives are also available.  

For reusable medical products, durability and the ability to withstand frequent sterilization play a vital role. Cured acrylate adhesives have a high resistance to sterilization by autoclaving, gamma radiation and ETO. These methods have no measurable negative impact on Panacol's medical grade adhesives. Electron-beam sterilization has even been shown to improve the adhesion of some medical grade adhesives of the Vitralit® series. This is due to an increase in the degree of polymerization of these products.

Typical applications of adhesives in medical device assembly are:

medical grade adhesive products

Specially formulated medical grade adhesives are certified for medical applications

Download:

Medical grade adhesives (pdf) 


Read more:

Lighting the Way to a Quicker Cure (pdf)
in: "Medical Device Developments", Spring 2015

Stick with it (pdf)
in: "Medical Plastics News", Sept/Oct 2014

The table below provides an overview of medical grade adhesives that are certified to ISO 10993 and/or USP Class VI and therefore suitable for medical applications:

Medical grade adhesive Application for medical grade adhesives Viscosity [mPas] Base Curing* Properties/ Certification
Structalit® 701 bonding surgical instruments
endoscopes
light guides
3,000-5,000 2-part epoxy thermal Transparent in thin layers
long potlife
fast curing
certified to USP Class VI and ISO 10993-5 standards
Structalit® 5893 needle bonding
plastic bonding
6,000-10,000 (Rheometer, 25°C, 10s^-1) epoxy thermal Black color
excellent flow properties
filling material for frame&fill applications
high resistance to heat and chemicals
certified to ISO 10993-5 standards
Vitralit® 1655 Medical devices bonding
Flexible potting
Optics
150-300 (Brookfield LVT, 25 °C, Sp. 2/30 rpm) epoxy UV
secondary heat cure
flexible
certified to USP Class VI and ISO 10993-5 standards
resistant to all common sterilization methods
Vitralit® 1702 Hose connections,
blood filters
10-100 acrylate UV Transparent
capillary flow
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Vitralit® 1703 Hose connections,
blood filters
85,000-130,000 (LVT, 25 °C, Sp. 4/3 rpm) acrylate UV Shear thinning
Shape retaining
Certified according to USP Class VI
Resistant to sterilization
Vitralit® 4731 Bonding hose fittings,
bonding housings
900-1,500 (LVT, 25°C, Sp. 3/30 rpm) acrylate UV
VIS
Dry surface after curing,
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI and ISO 10993-5 standards
Vitralit® 5140 Sealing electrical assemblies,
breathing masks
250-500 acrylate UV
VIS
Flexible,
well suited for bonding plastics with low UV translucence and permeable to visible light,
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Vitralit® 6108 needle bonding
bonding glass apparatus
600-900 acrylate UV
VIS
secondary heat cure
non-yellowing
excellent flow properties
certified to USP Class VI and ISO 10933-5 standards
Vitralit® 6108 T needle bonding
bonding glass apparatus
3,000-6,000 acrylate UV
VIS
secondary heat cure
non-yellowing
excellent gap-filling
certified to USP Class VI standards
shear thinning
Vitralit® 7041 Needle bonding,
bonding enclosures
50-90 (LVT 25°C, Sp. 2/60 rpm) acrylate UV
VIS
Excellent adhesion to glass, plastics and metals;
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Vitralit® 7041 F Needle bonding,
bonding enclosures
50-90 acrylate UV
VIS
Fluorescing,
excellent adhesion to glass, plastics and metals;
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI and ISO 10993/-4/-5 standards
Vitralit® 7041 T Needle bonding,
bonding dialysis filters
1,500-2,300 acrylate UV
VIS
High viscosity/stable,
excellent adhesion to glass, plastics and metals;
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI and ISO 10993/-4/-5 standards
Vitralit® 7090 VHS Bonding catheters,
needle bonding
40-100 acrylate UV
VIS
Dry surface,
very high adhesion to plastics,
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Vitralit® 7311 FO Plastic bonding, glass bonding
Suitable for large area bonding
Suitable for applications with small gaps
40-70 (Newtonian liquid, Rheometer, 25 °C) acrylate UV
VIS
Fluorescing orange
Capillary flowing
Resistant to moisture and alcohol
Biocompatible, certified according to USP Class VI and ISO 10993-5/10
Resistant to sterilization
Vitralit® 7311 FO T bonding plastics/glass bonding
suitable for elastic bonding of large surfaces
1,000-3,000 (Rheometer, 25 °C, 10s­^-1) acrylate UV
VIS
Fluorescing orange
High resistance to alcohols and moisture
non-yellowing
very high adhesion to plastics, glass and metals
suitable for bonding large areas
certified according to USP Class VI
Vitralit® 7311 FO Gel plastics /glass bonding
suitable for elastic bonding of large surfaces
bonding of medical disposables
18,000-35,000 (Rheometer, 25 °C, 10s^-­1) acrylate UV
VIS
Fluorescing orange, shape retaining
Resistant to humidity and alcohol
Certified according to USP Class VI
Resistant to sterilization
Vitralit® 7562 bonding glass apparatus 500-900 acrylate UV
VIS
Optically clear
flexible
elastic
high resistance to moisture
Vitralit® 7989 Plastic bonding,
bonding containers
3,000-5,000 acrylate UV Excellent adhesion to plastics, especially to PC and PMMA;
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Vitralit® UV 4050 needle bonding
plastic bonding
140-500 (LVT, 25°C, Sp. 2/30 rpm) acrylate UV
VIS
Certified to ISO 10993-5 and USP Class VI standards
modified acrylate
impact resistant
very fast curing
very high adhesion to plastics
Vitralit® UV 7030 15,000-25,000 (Rheometer, 25 °C, 10s^-1) acrylate UV
VIS
Flexible, high elongation at break,
very high shear strength,
certified according to USP Class VI
Cyanolit® 203 TX Bonding hose unions,
bridging large gaps,
suitable for porous materials
shear thinning cyanoacrylate moisture,
room temperature
Biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Cyanolit® 241 F Plastic bonding,
metal bonding
30-50 cyanoacrylate moisture,
room temperature
Capillary flow,
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Cyanolit® 732 F Bonding coloured plastics,
delicate bonds
230-350 (LVT, 25 °C, Sp. 2/60 rpm) cyanoacrylate moisture,
room temperature
Film forming,
suitable for bonding porous materials,
biocompatible: certified to USP Class VI standards
Elecolit® 323 Bonding of EP catheters paste-like 2 component epoxy thermal electrically conductive (ICA)
thermally conductive
ISO 10993-5/-12 certified

*UV = 320 - 390 nm          VIS = 405 nm

Bonding Connecting Elements and Catheters

Catheters and connection elements, such as infusion lines or tubes are usually made from plastics and are bonded.

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Needle Bonding

A main field of application for adhesives in medical systems is needle bonding and syringe assembly – the bonding of stainless steel needles or cannulas into glass or plastic syringes.

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Medical Device Assembly

Typical applications in medical engineering are bonding and sealing of two-piece transparent polycarbonate or acrylic housings.

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Adhesives for Wearables

Certified biocompatible special adhesives for the production of wearables and medical wearables.

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Adhesives for Endoscopes

Panacol offers a special range of biocompatible adhesives for the various types of bonding on endoscopes.

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