The medical industry approaches the problems of surface finishing from a different perspective than most of the other Vertrel^® customers. Because of the intensely personal nature of medicine and the legal costs associated with product/process failures, medical products not only need to be clean and sterile, but virtually perfect in every way. Medical products take quality to the ultimate.

-- Cleaning --

The contamination in the medical industry is typically not complex. There are circuit boards which need to be defluxed, there are metal, plastic and glass parts which need to be degreased, there are adhesives and inks which need to be removed. Compex contamination issues are relatively rare.

But cleaning performance standards are exceptional, and that's where Vertrel^® really makes the difference. The perfect cleaner should be very dense, evaporate quickly, be nonflammable, ozone-safe, non-VOC, non-global warming, plastic-safe, not mix with water, dissolve light oils, fingerprints and other typical contamination, and mix with PTFE and silicone lubricants. Not many products can meet all of those requirements.

Vertrel^® specialty solvents meet all of these criteria, and does it at a lower cost than any other alternative. HCFC solvents used to be popular, but most of them are being phased out at the end of 2002. The PFC solvents are serious global warming issues, and alcohol and hydrocarbon solvents are not used because of flammability, drying time and handling issues.

This close-up of the case of a medical filtration device highlights the difficult cleaning problems the medical world faces. The end-product must be spotlessly clean and sterile. Solvent entrapment and the risk of biological growth are major concerns. Aqueous cleaning technologies often fail in these demanding environments.

The brominated solvents are generally too aggressive, and they have significant toxicity, handling and environmental problems. The old style chlorinated solvents are not usually considered viable choices due to their toxicity and environmental problems.

-- Lubrication --

In addition to cleaning, many medical manufacturers need to lubricate metal, glass or plastic components. For example, syringes and scalpels work more smoothly and with less discomfort if they are coated lubricated properly. The two most popular lubricants are silicone-based (for permanent implantation inside the body) and PTFE-based (external to the body or for temporary contact within the body). Uniquely, the Vertrel^® products can carry and deposit both of these types of lubricants onto precision medical assemblies (see photo, right). They do this cheaper than PFCs, more smoothly and consistently than HCFCs and with a higher quality coating than any other option.

The performance differences are significant. In the photo at right, the same PTFE coating has been applied to a small metal component. The differences in the coatings are due to the carrying agent. On the left, the carrying agent is HCFC-141b, and the coating shows streaks and runs. In the center, the coating is improved by using a PFC-based carrying agent. The best, smoothest coating came with the Vertrel^® carrying agent, shown on the right. When performance counts, Vertrel^® gets it done.

There are a number of advantages to using Vertrel^® in a carrying agent application. First, the Vertrel^® products are very dense, so they mix with the lubricants better than lighter carrying agents. The Vertrel^® cleaners also have a much lower surface tension than water or alcohol carrying agents, so the carrying agent will evaporate quickly, easily, even from deep inside medical systems. Lastly Vertrel^® is nonpyrogenic and does not support biological growth, so there is no risk of non-sterile residues in the coating process.

Cleaning with Vertrel^® is simple, fast and very cost-effective. When quality counts, the medical industry selects Vertrel^®!

---

Most of the medical applications using Vertrel^® are developed under non-disclosure agreements. Here are two items which can be shared:

• The Medical Industry Prefers Vertrel^® for Final Degreasing -- A regional sub-contract manufacturer of medical sub-assemblies finds Vertrel^® is just what the doctor ordered.
  
  
• Vertrel^® Cleans Oxygen Systems -- Here's one way to keep those critical oxygen systems working at the peak of efficiency.

Please call, fax or email us at MicroCare Marketing Services
for more information about our full line of cleaning answers.