Material Selection & Fiber Types

BMS’ customized medical textile solutions utilize advanced polymer, metal, and proprietary materials to create the building blocks for next-generation medical devices and instrumentation. Fabricated from a variety of permanent and absorbable fibers, BMS’ structures work alongside or as replacement for human structures in the orthopedic, cardiovascular, and muscular systems throughout the body. BMS’ new partnership with TissueGen also delivers breakthrough structures for drug delivery using drug-loaded absorbable polymers.

Continuous medical textile engineering R&D is complemented by a proven record of anatomic applicability expertise. Depending on the application performance requirements, BMS engineers choose any combination of fiber variations, including:

• Monofilament. Single yarn, extruded; and measured by Mil or mm diameter.
• Multifilament Yarn. Yarn consisting of many strands that can be plied or twisted together, multifilament materials have better conformity, softer hand, and typically higher tenacity than monofilament. Measured in Denier or Dtex.
• Staple fiber. Short lengths of multifilament yarn used for non-wovens and other custom applications.

Materials

Permanent

• Polypropylene (PP)
• Polyester (PET)
• Polyethylene (UHMWPE – Dyneema Purity®)
• Nylon: polyamide – Supramid™
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
• PEEK (Polyetheretherketone)
• PEKK (Polyetherketoneketone)
• Silk
• Metallic wires (stainless steel, Nitinol, Pt-Ir, etc.)

Absorbable

• PGA
• PLLA
• 90:10 copolymer blend: PLGA
• PDO/PDS

Plastics

Modified Polymer Components works with plastics of all profiles to meet specific device requests. Some of the most common polymer materials include:

• PP
• PTFE (Teflon)
• Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP)
• Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE)
• PET
• PEEK
• Polyether Block Amide (PEBAX)
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
• C-Flex
• Silicone
• THV
• Polycarbonate (Lexan)
• Polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, MDPE)
• Polyurethane
• Polymide
• Urethane

Custom Sourcing & Proprietary Fibers

BMS also converts proprietary fibers for customers and can source custom materials for projects that require specific performance characteristics in particular therapeutic indications.