A new technique in radio-frequency (RF) plastics welding enables manufacturers of medical bags and pouches to obtain the clarity, elasticity, and performance characteristics of medical elastomers, providing an alternative to PVC, thermoplastic polyurethane, and natural rubber latex.

Developed by Genesis Plastics Welding, Indianapolis, and based on elastomer technologies from Teknor Apex, Pawtucket, RI, the ecoGenesis RF plastics welding process can produce such products as fluid drainage and storage bags from Teknor Apex’s Medalist elastomer–based film. 

Conventional RF plastics welding works well with such polymers as PVC and TPU; however, such welding cannot be used to bond low dielectric loss materials, such as Medalist elastomers. And alternative heat-sealing methods are limited to straight-line bonds. Using ecoGenesis, in contrast, can produce strong, permanent bonds with Medalist elastomers, polypropylene, and similar polymers in a range of designs that require complex patterns to be welded in one sequence. Moreover, the transparent grades of Medalist elastomers offer advantages over PVC, such as being free of halogens and phalates, having a wider range of service temperatures and low-temperature flexibility, lower hardness ranges and density, and greater elasticity.