Pt-cured tubing from Watson-Marlow

Published: 1-Jul-2002


Watson-Marlow Bredel had a range of pumps and tubes on display including its new platinum (Pt)-cured silicone tubing.

Silicone tubing is the most common type of tubing used in the pharma industry, and Watson-Marlow has invested some £750,000 (€1.1m) in a new production facility at its Falmouth headquarters.

It is often more cost effective to treat tubing as a disposable item, and the fact that the media being pumped in pharmaceutical applications is increasing in value, adds to the demand for silicone tubing.

The decision to concentrate exclusively on Pt-cured rather than peroxide-cured tubing was made because of the inherent superiority of Pt-cured tubing. Both types can be made to European Pharmacopoeia, but Pt-cured has higher purity and lower leachability. Peroxide-cured tubing also contains a small residue of 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl acids as a byproduct of the curing reaction, something not seen with Pt-curing.

In addition, more complete crosslinking produces a smoother surface within silicone tubing produced using a platinum catalyst, leading to less chemical binding, and hence longer use.

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