New Dow Corning QP1-2 Liquid Silicone Rubber Supports Cost-Effective, High-Volume Production Of Intricate Medical Device Designs

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, will unveil at MD&M West (Booth #2027) its advanced Dow Corning QP1-2 Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) product line. These five new platinum-catalyzed, heat-cured silicone elastomers offer medical device manufacturers and fabricators enhanced process ability, improved shot-to-shot consistency and faster cure profiles to support high-volume liquid injection molding of small, intricate components. 

“Medical device manufacturers are seeking to integrate greater functionality in ever more compact devices, which is challenging enough without trying to also control manufacturing costs,” said Gary Lord, global strategic marketing director for Healthcare at Dow Corning. “The result of close collaboration with our global customers, Dow Corning’s QP1-2 elastomers further expands our extensive line of advanced solutions for medical device fabrication. More importantly, it expands options for our customers to address emerging design and manufacturing challenges to compete more effectively in this rapidly evolving marketplace.”  

QP1-2 LSRs offer improved rheology vs. other silicones, enabling them to flow quickly at lower pressures into intricate molds. In addition, their batch-to-batch consistency and fast cure profile typically helps to reduce cycle times by at least 15 percent vs. other silicone materials. QP1-2 LSRs meet all biocompatibility standards for short-term implant, non-implant, surgical suite and consumer healthcare applications, as well as Class 2 medical equipment. Together, these qualities make Dow Corning’s new, high-performing LSR line ideally suited for the cost-effective, high-volume production of complex medical devices.

The QP1-2 LSR portfolio offers a broad and growing selection of USP Class VI tested products that deliver a range of durometers (Shore A hardness 30 to 70) to provide customers more options when choosing products that best fit their application needs. Further, customers manufacturing medical devices and components with QP1-2 LSR technology can do so knowing the Dow Corning products will contain no peroxides, peroxide by-products, chlorophenyls, PCBs, organic plasticizers, phthalates or latex additives or solvents.  

MD&M West will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center, in Anaheim, Calif. from Feb. 10-12, 2015. 

About Dow Corning
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company’s Dow Corning and XIAMETER brands. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States. Dow Corning’s global operations adhere to the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care initiative, a stringent set of standards designed to advance the safe and secure management of chemical products and processes. For more information, visit dowcorning.com.