Posted by Tex Tech Industries on November 15, 2022

Medical treatment requires close contact between the patient and health workers. That’s why every product used in this industry must meet strict standards.  Medical devices often require fabrics treated with a polymer coating to impart the necessary characteristics for proper form fit and function.

Tex-Tech is a leading medical fabric coating manufacturer, utilizing different polymers like urethane, PVC and silicone. We use state-of-the-art technology to create coatings with exceptional durability, microbial resistance, and air-holding capability. We offer a comprehensive range of coated medical fabrics for medical device manufacturers to enhance patient care and safety.

Common Equipment Coatings Used in the Medical Industry

Tex-Tech utilizes industry-leading textile coating and lamination processes to ensure our products meet the highest quality and standards. Tex-Tech applies various polymers to the fabric surface to enhance the underlying material’s capability to hold air and liquid and allows the material to be fused or welded using hot or radio frequency welding. TPU (urethane) is the most common type of polymer in RF or hot welding. 

We offer a range of polymer coating options, including:

  • Polyurethane 
  • Silicone 
  • PVC 
  • Acrylic 
  • Rubber (Including EPDM, Fluoroelastic, and natural nitrile) 
  • Phenolic 

The Purpose of Medical Coatings

Medical coating is crucial to uphold the sanitary and health standards of the industry. All medical instruments must meet certain sterility levels and standards to be suitable for use in medical settings.

Polymer coating allows the welding of fabrics to make them capable of holding air. Some devices that require this capability include blood pressure cuffs, pressure infuser bags, inflatable tourniquets, hyperbaric chambers, casts, and cold/ice therapy devices. 

Medical coating also prevents liquid penetration and maintains antimicrobial properties for the devices. Other applications for medical coating include:

  • Chemical stability: Medical devices should withstand different chemical environments. Medical coating adds a hard surface that protects the devices from abrasion, chipping, or scratching. 
  • Decoration and marking: Medical coating manufacturers use their techniques to add markers on their devices to ensure that defective devices can be isolated and traced back to the source. Medical coating is also crucial in providing as much information as possible to facilitate proper use. 
  • Hospital furniture and treatment seating: From treatment tables to chemotherapy chairs to bedside seating, hospital furniture must be durable enough to withstand frequent cleaning and sanitization while keeping patients and visitors comfortable.
  • Medical professional wearables: Medical professionals need comfortable, durable wearables to protect them from exposure to hazardous and biohazardous substances. Wearables include surgical gowns, aprons, shoe covers, protective shielding, and more.

Benefits of Medical Coatings

Textile coating can enhance a material’s characteristics and improve its performance based on the specification and application of the target product. Some of the typical characteristics that textile coating can improve in a medical device include:

  • Flame resistance 
  • Weldability 
  • Waterproofing 
  • Thermal resistance 
  • Durability 
  • Abrasion resistance 
  • Air holding capabilities 
  • Noise abatement capabilities 
  • Antimicrobial properties 

Medical coating is also crucial in the biomedical field to make implants better suited to interact with bone tissues. Besides that, here are other additional benefits of medical coating:

  • Rapid bone growth 
  • Biocompatibility 
  • Accelerated healing 
  • Enhanced bond strength
  • Low oxide coating 
  • Interconnected porosity 

Medical Coating with Tex-Tech

Medical coating is a crucial process in the manufacture of medical devices to deliver high patient safety standards required by the industry.  Several methods are used in medical coating, with textile and polymer coating being the most notable options. 

Tex-Tech is a trusted supplier of medical coatings for medical device manufacturers. With more than a century of experience and cutting-edge technologies, and  we’re capable of providing superior-quality textile solutions that meet all our customer’s needs and standards. Request a quote to get started or call us at 336-992-7500.