WACKER Chemical Group has recently developed a new type of silicone rubber SILPURAN 6610/40, which is mainly used to produce radiation sterilizable valves.

In medical technology, valves made of silicone elastomers are often used when metering liquid media. They have a very high measurement accuracy and are also biocompatible, but the valve slots of such silicone valves are easily bonded together during radiation sterilization. The greater the dose of radiation used, the more severe the tightness of the valve groove, which in turn affects the valve's metering accuracy. In extreme cases, the valve will fail completely. The reason for this is to apply a liquid or special release agent to the edge of the groove in order to prevent the two opposing groove edges from coming into direct contact. The use of the new silicone elastomer SILPURAN 6610/40 eliminates the need for release agents. This silicone rubber solution is very stable, and the valve slot does not stick even if it is much higher than the radiation dose needed for sterilization.