RAW MATERIALS FOR MEDICAL

TEXTILES

18.11.2010
 Presentation Covers..

• Global Fibre Scenario

• Fibres for Technical Textiles
• Classification of Medical Textiles
• Fibres for Medical Textiles
• Challenges in Meditech Growth in India
• Recommendations
 Global Fibre Production Scenario

Mn T – In Million Tons All Fibre

78 Million T

Natural Manmade
32 Mn T 46 Mn T
41% 59%

Wool Silk Cotton Jute/Ramie/Hemp Synthetics Cellulosic #

1 Mn T 0.15 Mn T 24 Mn T 5.9 Mn T 43 Mn T 3.23 Mn T
2% 0.2% 31% 8% 55% 4%

Filament
Polyester Nylon Acrylic Olefin Others Tow Staple (Acetate,
31 Mn T 3.5 Mn T 1.91 Mn T 6 Mn T 1 Mn T (Acetate/
(Viscose) Viscose,
39% 5% 2% 8% 1% Viscose)
2.13 Mn T Cupro)
0.69 Mn T
0.9% 2.7% # 0.41 Mn T
0.5%
Note :
CAGR (2001 – 08) : 3.26% as per Fibre Organon

Based on Average Production as on 2008

Fibres and their stake in Meditech

Percentage
Fibre stake of fibre
S. No.
in Meditech
1 Cotton 12
2 PSF 4.1
3 PP 15.6
4 VSF 43
5 Wool 43.8
6 PA 0.8
 MMF - India 2nd Largest Producer, but ….

Global India’s
India’s
Fiber Production Production Leading Countries
Rank
(mn Kg) (mn Kg)
PFY 23,874 1,973 2 China
PSF 16,840 1,078 2 China
VFY 650 82 2 China
ASF 3,000 153 3 China, Japan
VSF 3,080 252 3 China, Indonesia
• India’s total production of MMFs was 3.5 billion kg while global was 41 billion
kg in 2007.
• There is huge gap between China and India’s production
• Ex- PSF – China- 76.6 / India 8.5 % - PFY – China 80.4 / India – 10.3%
- VSF – China – 63 / India 10.2 %
- Cotton – China – 7 / India 5.1 mil Tons (FY10) [in consumption china –
10.6 / India 4.2 mil Tons]
 Fibres For Technical Textiles
Regular/ Generic Fibres
(70%)
(Cotton, Jute, Slik, Polyester,
Viscose, Polypropylene, Nylon
fibres etc
Efficacy is achieved by
Spinners Fabricators &
Nonwovens
Fully available
Technical
Textiles Fibres
Speciallity variants of High Tech/ High
Regular/ Generic fibres performance fibres (5%)
(25%)
(Aramids, Carbon, Glass, Ceramic
FR, Hollow, High Tenacity,
fibres etc
Moisture management
Efficacy is achieved by Efficacy is achieved
the properties at fibre by the properties at
stage polymer stage itself
Mostly available Not available
 Classification of Medical Textiles
Non-Implantables Healthcare Implantables Extra
Products Corporeal
Absorbents with and without ex-ray  Surgical gowns • Sutures  Art. Kidney
detactable Biodegradable/
 Abdominal pad with /without x-Ray  Surgical caps Non-  Art. Liver /
 Cotton & viscose gauze Lungs
 Surgical mask biodegradable
 Dressing packs • Bifurcated
 Wadding  Surgical arterial prosthetic
Gauze Bandages drapes graft
 W/W bandage (open bandages or gauze  Wipes • Artificial Joints
bandages) • Dialysers
 Triangular & POP Bandages  Hospital bed • Artificial Tendon
 Synthetic cast sheets, pillows, (Mesh)
Extensible Bandages pillow covers, • Artificial Vascular
 Cotton crepe bandages blankets, Grafts
 Elastic bandages (with rubber or lycra) mattresses • Artificial heart
 Compression bandages valve etc
 Elastic adhesive & Cohesive bandages  Patient clothing • Art. skin
Tubular bandages (summer &
 Knitted fabric in tubular form winter)
 Surgical hosiery  Burns clothing
Wound dressing and medicated bandages
 Chlorhexidine gauze dressing  Operation
 Elastic Adhesive dressing theatre clothing
 Framycetin gauze dressing
 Paraffin gauze dressing
 Fibre /Fabric/Application- Nonimplanatable

“Used for external applications and may or may contact with skin”

Products Fibre Type Fabric Structure

Absorbent pad Cotton, viscose, lyocell Nonwoven

Wound-contact layer Alginate , chitosan, silk, viscose, lyocell, cotton Woven, Nonwoven , knitted
Base material Viscose, lyocell, plastics film Woven, nonwoven
Simple non-elastic and Cotton, viscose, lyocell, polyamide, elastomeric- Woven, Nonwoven , knitted
elastic bandages fibre yarns
High-support bandages Cotton, viscose, lyocell, elastomeric-fibre yarns Woven, Nonwoven , knitted
Compression bandages Cotton, viscose, lyocell, elastomeric-fibre yarns Woven, knitted
Orthopaedic bandages Cotton, viscose, lyocell, polyester fibre, Woven, nonwoven
polypropylene fibre, polyurethane foam
Plasters Cotton, viscose, plastics film, polyester fibre, Woven, Nonwoven , knitted
glass fibre, polypropylene fibre
Gauze dressing Cotton, viscose, lyocell, alginate fibre, chitosan Woven, Nonwoven , knitted
Lint Cotton Woven
Wadding Viscose, cotton linters, wood pulp Nonwoven

Scaffold Polyactide fibre, polyglycolide fibre, carbon Spunlaid, needle-punched

nonwoven
 Fibre /Fabric/Application- Healthcare/Hygiene

“Used either in the operation theatre or in the hospital wards for hygiene, care and
safety of the staff and patients”

Product Fibre Type Fabric Structure

Surgical gowns Cotton, polyester, polypropylene Woven , nonwoven
Surgical caps Viscose, PP, polyester Nonwoven
Surgical masks Viscose, polyester, glass fibre Nonwoven
Surgical drapes, cloths Cotton, polyester, polypropylene Woven, Nonwoven
Surgical hosiery Cotton, polyester, polyamide fibre, Knitted
elastomeric-fibre yarns
Blankets Cotton, polyester Woven, Knitted
Sheets, pillowcases Cotton, Poly cotton, Poly viscose Woven
Uniforms Cotton, poly Cotton, Poly viscose Woven
Proactive clothing, incontinence, Polyester, polypropylene Nonwoven
diaper/sheet, coverstock
Absorbent layer Super-absorbent polymers, wood pulp Nonwoven
Outer layer PE films Nonwoven
Cloths/wipes Viscose, lyocell with polyester blend Nonwoven
 Fibre /Fabric/Application- Implantable
“Used in effecting repair to the body whether it is wound closure (sutures) or
replacements Surgery like vascular grafts, artificial ligaments”

Products Fibre Type Fabric Structure

Biodegradable sutures Collagen, catgut, polyglycolide fibre, Monofilament,

polylactide fibre braided
Non-biodegradable sutures Polyester fibre, polyamide fibre, PTFE fibre, Monofilament
polypropylene fibre braided
Artificial tendon PTFE fibre, polyester fibre, silk, collagen, Woven braided
polyethylene fibre, polyamide fibre
Artificial ligament Polyester fibre, carbon fibre, collagen Braided

Artificial cartilage Low-density polyethylene

Artificial skin Chitin, Silicon, collagen Nonwoven

Eye contact lenses and artificial Poly (methyl methacrylate) fibre, silicon fibre,
cornea collagen
Artificial joints/bones Silicone, Carbon

Vascular grafts PTFE fibre, polyester fibre Woven, knitted

Heart valves Polyester fibre Woven, knitted

 Fibre /Fabric/Application- Extracorporeal

“Used as mechanical organs that for blood purification and include artificial
kidney, the artificial liver and the mechanical lung”

Product Fibre Type Function

Artificial kidney Hollow polyester fibre, hollow Remove waste products
viscose from patients blood.
Artificial liver Hollow viscose Separate and dispose of
patients plasma and
supply fresh plasma
Mechanical lung Hollow polypropylene fibre, hollow Remove carbon dioxide
silicone membrane from patients blood and
supply fresh oxygen
 Uniqueness of Fibres used in Medical Textiles

• Pure and Hygienic • Good thermal stability

• Bio – degradable
• Fast & High absorbency
• Excellent Wicking performance
• Barrier to percolation
• Good Insulation
• High Strength
• Low Lint
• Soft feel
• Excellent drape ability
• Breathability
• Static Dissipation
• Engineered Specialties
- Anti-bacterial properties
- Medicinal clothings
 Challenges in Meditech Growth
India’s dominating fibre position supports the growth of medical textiles
in India and exports of domestically produced medical textiles
• As a consuming Hub
• As a manufacturing Hub

Technology for production of most of the speciality fibres is available,

but due to lack of demand, the production is negligible. Eg. – Anti
Bacterial PSF/VSF

Hitech fibre technologies are available glogally, but needs domestic

demand to make the investments workable

The main volume growth driver in Meditech is the Non-implantable

segment which includes surgicals & healthcare/hygiene products.
China leads in production capacities, while India has just arrived with
considerably smaller capacities in organized sectors

Lack of standards and awareness among users is hindering the growth

rate of Indian meditech industry
 Challenges in Meditech Growth Contd..
Short Term Commercial Challenges

COTTON VSF
150
150 15 % increase in year
70 % increase in year 125
125
100
100
75
75
50
50
Before 12 Before 6 Current
Before 12 Before 6 Current
months monts
months monts

PSF
150
58 % increase in year
125
Indian fibre producers still make
100 available fibre and offer better
75 prices
50
Before 12 Before 6 Current
months monts
 Recommendations
Marketing Efforts

 Benefits of good products need to be percolated more

effectively with user industry

 Collaboration between fibre manufacturer and medi-product

producer is essential

 Encourage conversion facilities for nonwoven medi-products

 Collective efforts of govt., research institutes and industry to

cover the gap in awareness of user industry and
standardization

 Participation of manufacturers in international forums to

promote Indian medi-products and establish India as a
manufacturing hub
 Recommendations

Product Standardization Effort

 Standards for meditech products needs to be developed in

harmony with EU/US particularly for healthcare

 Center of excellence SITRA and its support services need to

be extended to various regions

 Nonwoven products have no mention in the product

standards. For non-implantables, BIS standards as well as IP
only mentions of woven products, whereas nonwovens are
taking major share worldwide

 All govt. tenders should have woven as well as nonwovens

as product options for non-implantables
 Recommendations

Government Levies
 Labelling to be made mandatory and promotion of label is
desired

 DEPB / DD needs to cover the duty paid, which is absent

for most of the new meditech products

 To curb the sub-standard products and promote the local

meditech industry, even mis-declaration as off-lot papers
many times. Checks and controls are required

To promote the usage of new technology nonwoven

products, the excise duty needs to be made at par with the
woven products
THANK YOU