Dental Aligner Device

TPU for Dental Aligner and Orthodontic Devices

Highest-Quality TPUs for Dental and Orthodontic Devices

The medical and cosmetic dental market has experienced expansive growth in the last decade, spurring equal growth in market innovation. Well-known materials like thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are increasingly finding new uses as clear dental aligners, retainers, mouth guards and other dental and orthodontic products.

Lubrizol is the oldest and one of the largest manufacturers of TPU in the world and Lubrizol Life Science Health is a total material solutions provider for dental device manufacturers. Our Isoplast® ETPU and Pellethane® TPU are the materials of choice for many dental device applications.

Isoplast® ETPU: Best Single Polymer for Consistent Performance and Manufacturability

Isoplast engineered thermoplastic polyurethanes (ETPUs) are the top-tier materials in the dental space. With a unique combination of properties, they provide predictable outcomes, patient comfort and processability. Isoplast ETPUs have high tensile strength and elongation at yield, combining the toughness and dimensional stability of amorphous resins with the chemical resistance of crystalline materials. 

Qualities that make Isoplast ETPU ideal for dental applications:

  • Medical-grade
  • Rigidity
  • Toughness
  • Resistance to stress-relaxation
  • Higher restorative force
  • Optical clarity
  • Chemical resistance (resists cracking)
  • Consistent quality
  • Processable via extrusion and secondary heat forming

For ease of manufacturability and speed to market, Isoplast ETPU is the best single material for invisible aligner and retainer applications, meeting all requirements and consistently outperforming other traditionally used commodity rigid plastics. 

Pellethane® TPU: Ideal Polymer for Enhancing Patient Outcomes

Pellethane thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) offer a range of properties for medical and healthcare products. Pellethane is known for its flexibility, strength and is available in a range of durometer/modulus options. Pellethane is an excellent material choice for dental devices with a multi-layer design. It is bondable and processable with other thermoplastics, including Isoplast to achieve desired patient outcomes.

Qualities that make Pellethane ideal for dental applications:

  • Medical-grade
  • Good elastic recovery
  • Flexibility
  • Optical clarity
  • Abrasion resistance
  • Tear resistance
  • Good stain resistance
  • Compatibility with antimicrobial agents and other oral care ingredients
  • Consistent quality

Custom Development Capabilities for Speed to Market

LLS Health’s dedicated team provides unique development, material characterization and testing capabilities to help you meet time-bound milestones for your dental device development projects including: 

  • Custom resin development to achieve desired material properties
  • Physical and chemical characterization for dental aligners 
  • Development of materials and test methods for dental aligner development and evaluation
  • Lab scale synthesis, processing and testing capabilities

With more than 90 years as a reliable supplier of innovative TPU solutions, Lubrizol partners with customers to provide the technology, performance, expertise and support you can trust to bring your dental device to market quicker.