Apex Medical Technologies, Inc. has developed curing methods for use in the cross-linking of synthetic and natural rubber latices and elastomers.  These innovative processes offer significant advantages to the medical device industry.  The thermo-set materials listed on our Material Properties page shows our preferred formulations, although Apex has the ability to tailor each of these formulations, or create new ones, to meet performance criteria specific to its customers’ needs.

Peroxide Curing System
Apex’s Peroxide Curing System is an innovative method for the vulcanization of dip molded films.  Utilizing organic peroxides, films are rapidly cured at a high temperature in an oxygen-free environment producing highly biocompatible films with excellent physical properties.

• Products are accelerator-, booster-, and activator-free, thus exhibiting excellent biocompatibility as well as significantly reducing, if not completely eliminating Type IV allergic reactions.
• Physical properties are excellent – tensile strengths can reach levels of 4100 psi with the elongation at break at 1000%, while the modulus remains low and the tensile set is typically very low.
• Most finished articles are white or translucent in color and can be odorless.
• The technology works well with synthetic elastomers and latices such as polyisoprene and silicone, but also works well with natural rubber and low protein natural rubber.
• While cornstarch is typically used as an anti-block agent, products can be made powder free through use of a chlorination process.

Products that would especially benefit from this curing method are those that are constantly in direct contact with skin, such as surgical and exam gloves, probe covers, condoms, and catheters.

Click here for more details on our Peroxide Curing System (pdf).

Cold Curing System
The cold curing system involves the use of a unique compound to cure dip molded parts of synthetic polyisoprene, natural rubber, and some other rubber compounds.  This curing process allows for very low temperature curing of the materials which preserves the molecular weight of the rubber materials, thus yielding excellent physical properties.

• Products are accelerator-, booster-, and activator-free, thus exhibiting excellent biocompatibility as well as significantly reducing, if not completely eliminating Type IV allergic reactions.
• Physical properties are excellent – tensile strengths reach levels of 5000 psi with the elongation at break at least 1100%, while the modulus remains low and the tensile set is typically very low.
• Very high elongation values can be achieved with polyisoprene.
• Most finished articles are white or translucent in color and can be odorless.
• While cornstarch is typically used as an anti-block agent, products can be made powder free through use of a chlorination process.

Products that would especially benefit from this curing method are those that require high elongation, such as catheter balloons.

Please contact our Business Development department (858-535-0012 ext. 203) for information on licensing opportunities.