Non-Woven Implantable Medical Textiles
Non woven fabrics are made when short and or long fibers are bonded together through chemical, mechanical , heat or solvent treatments. Fabric broadly defined as a sheet or web structure bonded together by entangling medical fibers or filaments (and by perforating films) mechanically, thermally or chemically. They are flat, porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibers or from molten plastic or plastic film.
The fibers in a non-woven may be oriented in one direction or randomly throughout the fabric. Multiple layers can be combined to achieve desired strength, elongation and other mechanical properties. Porosity can be controlled by varying fiber diameter, fiber density, fiber orientation and additional mechanical processing.
Key characteristics of non-woven fabrics include:
- Dimensional stability
- Strength
- Durability
- Resilience
- Low elongation
- Porosity level controlled based on specific processing
The value of non-woven fabrics in an implantable medical device may include:
- High degree of tissue in-growth
- Controlled permeability
- Low degree of elongation
- Absorbent / Non-absorbent (material dependent)
Non-woven fabrics can be produced for a variety of applications based on your biomedical structure’s requirements, including:
- Encouraging Tissue Growth (Tissue Scaffolds, Tissue in-growth cuffs)
- Tissue protection (pledgets)
ATEX possesses the expertise to produce non-woven fabrics based on your design requirements.
In addition to the above, hybrid materials can also be manufactured to meet your specific component requirements. Click here to discuss!