Medical textile products industry structure

Figure 16.1 A schematic iUustration of the industry structure for medical textile products.

The world textile industry is moving rrq)idly toward the manufacture of high-added value textile structures and products such as medical textiles, protective textiles and smart textiles. Textile materials used in medical devices are an important and growing part of the textile industry. Textiles present an excellent interface between the human body and medical treatment, and thus their continued development is an important part of medical diagnosis and therapy. 

Polyurethanes (PUs) are a family of condensation polymers that include the urethane (-NHCOO-) group in the chemical structure (Figure 5.1). The history of PUs started in 1937 when Dr Otto Bayer of Bayer Germany invented the diisocyanate polyaddition process. The early applications of PUs were mainly on soft foams and nonsegmented semicrystalline fibers. The lack of rubber materials during WWII has led to the intensive development of PU elastomers. In 1950, Bayer launched the first PU elastomer product, Vulkollan rubbers. Since then, PU elastomers have been used extensively, particular in medical, textile, automobile, and architecture industries [1-3]. 

Some nanocomposites recently became commercially available and were applied to the automotive and food packaging industries. These studies will further broaden the applications of these materials in medical instrument engineering, electronic engineering, civil engineering, energy, textiles, dry/wet adhesives and fasteners, engineering structures, household products, optical materials, etc. 

Thermoplastic nets are also part of the nonwoven family and are used in engineered composites. For example, DelStar manufactures products for a range of nets, which can be incorporated into composite structures. Applications include hltralion, medical and industrial end uses. These products include DelStar s Stratex engineered composites. These are created by laminating layers of nets, nonwovens and/or textiles to produce complex stmctures [11]. 

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