Wear Time Brackets
Medical adhesive technology needs to keep up with the technological advancements that medical wearables are currently making with longer wear times and more compact and lighter wearables, and we’re up for the challenge.
Wear times are essential as they decide how long the device and the adhesives are attached to the body. There are three categories of wear time for skin contact adhesive design: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Skin contact adhesives in each wear time category are designed and recommended for the fixation of devices to the skin.
Single-coated products are the most commonly used in making skin contact tapes. Our tapes are made with acrylic, silicone, and rubber adhesive that can be coated onto breathable and stretchable carriers.
Short-term contact tapes
Our short-term skin contact tapes are single-coated and are designed for wear times between 24 hours and up to 7 days. In addition to the PE, PET, and PU carriers, we use PE, EVA, and PolyOlefin to make quick stick foam tape carriers for wearables that are designed for a maximum of 3 days of skin contact.
Avery Dennison has four short-term skin contact tapes. We have three single-coated tapes, MED 5719P, MED 5725P, and MED 5559H, and one double-coated skin contact tape, MED 6001SI.
Non-woven PE, PET, and PU carriers are used in some of these products that make the adhesives stretchable and breathable. PET carriers are commonly used in multi-layered devices where the device is attached to the skin using adhesive solutions.
- MED 5719P is a single-coated, white, embossed, polyester nonwoven with a porous acrylic adhesive.
- MED 5725P is a single-coated, white, embossed, soft polyethylene nonwoven with a porous acrylic adhesive.
Each has a high moisture vapor transmission rate or MVTR, that’s unique to their design and allows free passage of moisture through the adhesive tape and carrier materials, making it breathable and suitable for extended wear times and preventing skin maceration in some applications.
- MED 5559H is a single-coated, transparent polyurethane film containing an integrated hydrocolloid formulation.
Its typical application is for the fixation of medical devices. MED 5559H has an absorptive adhesive that helps limit breakdown from saturation and protects the skin, promoting healing conditions. The hydrocolloid adhesive will absorb moisture from the body which may allow the adhesive to remove more gently from the skin.
- MED 6001SI is a double-coated, transparent thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film with a high-tack soft silicone adhesive (SSA) on the patient side and an acrylic adhesive for the device side.
Based on its silicone adhesive, this skin contact tape’s typical application is for multi-layered advanced wound care dressings, patient monitoring, and wearables. While the silicone adhesive provides a gentle removal from the skin, it may not have enough shear strength for some applications to hold a device or effectively manage moisture.
Medium-term contact tapes
Medium-term contact tapes such as MED5718P, MED 5740 and MED 5741 have a wear time of up to 14 days.
These tapes are acrylic skin adhesives designed for long-term wear applications in skin-adhering wearable devices.
- MED 5718P is a single-coated white, stretchable, polyester nonwoven with a porous acrylic adhesive.
Like the three short-term contact tapes (MED 5719P, MED 5725P, MED 5559H), it has a high moisture vapor transmission rate, or MVTR, that’s unique to its design and allows free passage of moisture through the adhesive tape and carrier materials, making it breathable and suitable for extended wear times and prevents skin maceration in some applications.
The product’s stretchable nonwoven is also ideal for adhering to highly contoured areas of the body.
- MED 5740 and MED 5741 are single-coated, white polyurethane nonwoven with an acrylic adhesive and are the same adhesive.
These products are soft, conformable, and breathable. Their typical application is designed for multi-week wear time applications such as glucose monitors, insulin pumps, activity trackers, electrocardiogram monitors, and other mobile health and wellness products.
The white polyester nonwoven is suitable for welding a housing to the top surface. Like the MED 5740 skin contact tape, this product’s typical application is designed for multi-week wear time applications such as glucose monitors, insulin pumps, activity trackers, electrocardiogram monitors, and other mobile health and wellness products.
Long-term contact tapes
Long-term contact tapes have a wear time of up to 21 days.
- MED 5744 is a single-coated, white polyester nonwoven with an acrylic-based adhesive designed for up to 21-day wear.
Like the Med 5741, the surface is suitable for welding. Its typical application is designed for glucose monitors, insulin pumps, activity trackers, electrocardiogram monitors, and other mobile health and wellness products.
Selecting the Right Adhesive for Your Customers
Selecting the right adhesive for your customers begins with understanding that the device types and end-user requirements are different and affect the design of the device and the adhesives.
Our solutions start with determining the specifications for the wearable and how the adhesive layers (skin contact layer, tie-layer, and cover/overlay adhesives) and the device work together.
As wearable device technology is developed, we continue our research, collaborating with experienced suppliers across multiple disciplines to help us continue our development of functional and comfortable products for a wide array of applications.
Conclusion
Wearable technology continues to evolve, and so must our ability to keep pace. Determining the correct wear time of wearable devices and adhesives starts with understanding the device requirements.
Wear time brackets (short,- medium,- and long-term wear times) reflect how much the wearable technology remains attached to the body. We design adhesives to support essential wear times. Skin contact adhesives in each wear time category are designed for a particular application, providing a guideline for testing the appropriate skin adhesive. Each wearable device is different, and the product specifications and constructions are unique.
Avery Dennison continues to advance our adhesive technology and product portfolio to improve adhesion to skin for various durations, expanding the functionality of our skin contact adhesives and providing comfort and quality of life to your customers.
