Yulex Corporation announces medical products made by guayule rubber

Yulex Corporation announces the release of its ground-breaking line of Optiprene™ natural rubber emulsions. The line launches with four medical-grade formulations. Optiprene HA and KOA Natural Rubber Emulsions are formulated for use in surgical or examination gloves, medical adhesives, latex wound care products and catheters that are safe for people with latex allergies. Optiprene HA+2 and KOA+2 Natural Rubber Emulsion Compound Systems are vulcanize-on-demand emulsions intended for use in all dipped, cast, threaded, sprayed, foamed or sheeted medical
device applications.

© Yulex Corporation

All four Optiprene products are derived from the guayule shrub, an arid climate plant indigenous to the Southwest U.S.; are free from the proteins associated with Type 1 latex allergy; and are manufactured using Yulex Corporation’s proprietary processes at its Maricopa, Arizona facility.

“We’ve specially formulated Optiprene emulsions for those in the medical device industry seeking to make products with high-performance natural materials that are safe for people with latex allergy,” said Jeffrey Martin, CEO at Yulex Corporation. “We know there is a strong need for natural rubber emulsions in the United States with up to 17 percent of health care workers suffering from latex allergy and 8.2 percent of the general population sensitized. Yulex is pleased to offer the only safe and natural alternative to Hevea.”

New Optiprene HA uses Ammonium Hydroxide as a pH modifier and stabilizer while the KOA formulation uses Potassium Hydroxide. The +2 vulcanize-on-demand emulsions were developed for manufacturers that require extra-long shelf life for the uncompounded material.

“Traditional prevulcanized latex emulsions have a very short life span because they arrive premixed,” said Jim Mitchell, Vice-President Technology Development for Yulex Corporation. “The time-clock starts when the emulsion is manufactured and not at the point of receipt. The Optiprene HA+2 and KOA+2 systems were specifically made for manufacturers that need total control over when the prevulc pot-life initiation
occurs.”

Optiprene HA, HA+2, KOA and KOA+2 meet the standard specification requirements for rubber-concentrate set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International under section D1076, category 4. Yulex offers custom colors, fragrances and flavoring upon request for its line of Optiprene emulsion products.

Yulex Corporation develops proprietary guayule-based technology to extract latex, bulk rubber, bagasse and other materials for medical products, consumer products and green energy production on a sustainable basis.

Source

Yulex Corporation, press release, 2008-12-11.

Supplier

Yulex Corporation

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