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Medical Textiles

Integer has considerable experience in the design and manufacturing of implantable textile constructs, either as a finished medical device or a component thereof. We have a track record of delivering competitive functionality, using proprietary processing techniques with customized equipment. Through the selection of an appropriate biomaterial grade, fiber specifications and knit structure, the required properties can be simultaneously achieved for optimized clinical performance, specific to the indication for use. Our state-of-the-art, digitally controlled machines facilitate variable design structures, with reliable precision and repeat-ability.

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Yarn Preparations
Knitted Medical Fabrics
Woven Medical Fabrics
Braided Textiles
Medical Fabric Finishing

Integer possesses in house yarn preparation and processing capabilities.

The yarn can be split, twisted, warped and heat set, to achieve the desired final product requirements and specifications.

This equipment and skill set in house facilitates short lead times for customers from receipt of yarn to initial prototype development.

Knitted medical fabrics offer unique performance criteria when compared to textiles processed by other means. Specifically, knitted fabrics offer compliance and the ability to negate unravelling of yarns. Where a knitted fabric is implanted can dictate particular compliance characteristics, to ensure that the material stretches or conforms with the movement of the body, limiting unwanted stresses or discomfort. Integer uses digitally controlled equipment to precisely define specific knit configurations and pore geometries that offer preferred compliance characteristics in the X (machine) and Y (transverse) directions. This also applies for tubular fabric, where the degree to which a fabric stretches radially and longitudinally can be precisely tuned.

Integer can provide knitted medical fabrics with the following design configurations:

Warp knit: Flat & Tubular
Circular knit
Spacer knit
3D Shape Formed Fabrics

The other benefit of knitted fabric with defined compliance characteristics is that the material can conform to the geometry of underlying implantable frames, so rather than folding during crimping and deployment, the material can stretch and foreshorten.

Woven medical fabrics are made up of interlacing yarns which cross one another at right angles. The weft yarns run transversely across the loom, with the warp yarn running longitudinally, creating a dimensionally stable implantable fabric. This implantable fabric configuration results in a flexible material with desirable performance attributes applied, such as high tensile strength, high suture retention, and a high level of burst strength. When compared to knitted fabric this material can be manufactured to be comparatively thinner, with a smaller pore size. This is usually applied where the fabric is required to act as an impermeable barrier.

Integer offers implantable woven fabrics in the following configurations:

Leno weave
Twill weave
Spacer fabrics

The low profile/ low porosity that woven medical fabric can achieve has led to their use in endovascular grafts, aortic valve skirts and other structural heart implants.

The company’s state-of-the-art, digitally controlled equipment facilitate variable woven design configurations, with unparalleled tolerance and precision.

Braided implantable fabric is achieved by intertwining multiple strands (minimum 3) of wire or yarn in a diagonally overlapping pattern. The design is typically used for the manufacture of suture, braided stents, catheters or other implantable devices.

By using state of the art equipment Integer can offer complex design options, braiding over mandrel or reel-to-reel. By varying the braid parameters, mechanical properties can be tailored to suit design requirements, with the ability to transition between multiple configurations, such as:

Solid Braid
Hollow Core Braid
Multi-Layer Braid
Flat Braid
Bifurcated/ Trifurcated/ Quadfurcated Braid
Prolapsed Shapes & Discs

Integer has extensive experience braiding the following biomaterials

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most common resin of the Polyester family, and the fiber is often referred to as Dacron or Terylene in the medical device industry. All our PET is implantable grade, and we work with monofilament and multifilament input yarns to develop low-profile braided constructs for implantable use. The braids can be supplied as components or finished medical devices. Applications can include annuloplasty rings, frame membranes and low-profile sutures.

Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)

UHMWPE is one of the strongest most durable polymers being used in medical textile development. Typical applications include sports medicine applications such as high strength tapes and complex sutures. Integer is a trusted specialist of DSM Dyneema® UHMWPE fiber

Radiopaque Yarn

Integer can also tailor textile solutions so that the implant can be detected via radiotherapy. We work with radiopaque multifilament yarn so that the it is possible to detect and identify the device once implanted.

Resorbable Polymers

We also offer braiding of resorbable polymers. Integer has been working with resorbable polymers for over a decade, creating various textile constructs. Some of the polymers we currently offer are:

MG (Magnesium)
PL Poly(L-Iactide)
PC Poly(Ɛ-caprolactone)
PLC Poly(L-Iactide/Ɛ-caprolactone)
PLG Poly(L-Iactide/Glycolide)

PDL Poly(DL-Iactide)
PLDL Poly(L-DL Iactide)
PG Poly(Glycolide)
PDLG Poly(Glycolide)
Polylactide (PLA)

Suture Development Options

We also offer braiding of resorbable polymers. Integer has been working with resorbable polymers for over a decade, creating various textile constructs. Some of the polymers we currently offer are:

At Integer we are considered experts in the development of medical textiles. For over eighteen years, we have been supplying fabrics as components & finished medical devices to medical device companies all over the world. We offer a full suite of knitting, braiding and weaving capabilities, and routinely work with implantable polymers & resorbable biomaterials.

At Integer, what differentiates us to our competitors is our extensive post-processing technologies and know-how. Where other manufacturers may supply a greige fabric or off-the-shelf-material, we are able to provide you with an implantable fabric in its final form, supporting your upstream assembly requirements and streamlining your supply chain.

Below, we have outlined the most common fabric finishing technologies we offer, and why companies use Integer as their preferred medical textile manufacturer.

Should you be at the beginning of your development project and unsure about which textile configuration is best suited to your application, you can learn more about each below.

Fabric Integration

Additional conversion processes can also enable integration of multiple material forms, including medical textile with non-woven fabrics, such as nitinol wire, electrospun materials or elastomeric films/ coatings.

Trimming

Integer has a number of techniques for trimming medical fabric, such as mechanical cutting or a hot knife. Many fabrics are laser micro-machined for dimensional accuracy, which also cauterizes the edges to inhibit fraying.

Fabric Assembly

Integer has extensive know-how in the suturing of implantable medical textiles. Sewing and embroidery are employed to join fabrics together or to attach fabric to other components.

Ultrasonic Welding

As an alternative to suturing, Integer utilizes ultrasonic welding as a method of fusing fabrics. The tooling design focuses the ultrasonic energy to produce the desired melt zone, providing a precise and repeatable pattern. We can offer ultrasonic welding of complex shapes and geometries. Our expertise in this area allows us to apply ultrasonic welding to larger surface areas, differentiating us from our competitors. Our state-of-the-art equipment also allows for precision to a micron level.