Guard Industries, Inc.
Guard News                                Issue V                      October 2009
In This Issue
Plastic
Tip of Month Drape Molding Station
Protect Your Skin - Lesson 4
 
 
Tip of the Month
 
Low Cost Drape Molding Station
 
Make your own Drape Molding Station from inexpensive parts from the hardware store - see article for details.
Robert Brock RTPO
guardbarsmall
Next Month's Tip
Low Cost Lamination Stand
 
 
Quick Links...
 
 
Guard Industries, Inc.
3333 Washington Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 800-535-3508
Fax: 314-534-0035
 
 
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Greetings from everyone at Guard Industries!  We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter.  
 
We are concluding the article from the Amputee Coalition of America about protecting your skin with the final part of a 4 part series.  If you have missed any of the series click on this link to take you to our archived newsletters.
Flexible Inner Socket
Wide Variety of Plastics Available From Guard Industries

 All Plastics                                      
Guard Industries stocks a very large inventory of a variety of plastics used in the orthotic, prosthetic & pedorthic professions.  Here is a listing and some of their common characteristics & uses: 

 
 
 
 
POLYPROPYLENE
(Natural, Fleshtone & Colors)
It is the most widely used plastic in O&P.  It's rigidity makes it excellent for definitive sockets, body jackets, AFO's and upper & lower orthoses.
 
COPOLYMER (Natural, Fleshtone & Colors)
It's rigidity is similar to polypropylene but slightly flexible due to an ethylene additive.  It's also more suited for colder climates.  It has most of the same applications as polypropylene, some success is limited in applications like AFO's due to it's extra flexibility.
 
LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
Is a lot softer, more flexible than polypropylene & copolymer.  It's uses would be for body jackets due to it's softer feel & flexible prosthetic inner sockets.
 
MODIFIED POLYETHYLENE
Is much stronger than low-density, it's also crack & tear resistant and has a wider range of working temperatures and working time.  Primary uses are for body jackets, flexible inner sockets and both upper & lower extremity orthoses.
 
HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
Is a very rigid material and it's uses are limited to body jackets, knee & neck braces parts and anterior shells on KAFO's.
 
VIVAK 
It's optically clear and has no smell when heated like UVEX (a similar plastic) it is used for check sockets, burn masks (aids in healing to prevent scarring), sports protective masks and non weight bearing AFO's for patients that are bedridden or in a wheelchair.
 
DURAFLEX™ - Available exclusively through Guard Industries, Inc. 
Is a soft, semi-transparent pliable thermoplastic that combines comfort, durability and strength.  It's being used currently in both orthotics and prosthetic applications like flexible liners for AK, BK, AE & BE devices.  It doesn't contain silicon or latex, can be blister formed or draped with a seam, is crack & tear resistant.  It will not turn yellow over time, is hygienic and non-toxic.  It will not expand due to lotions or creams that patients use for donning & doffing.  It has excellent bonding properties as well.
 
Also is currently being used in orthotics as an inner boot inside of an AFO, by reducing the shear forces by introducing a layer between the skin & the hard thermoplastic shell.  It is also easier to maintain the foot in the desired position as the inner liner allows the foot to be encompassed in a 360 degree wrap.  It has also been incorporated in crow's to reduce shear by further immobilizing the foot & ankle in difficult cases.  One practitioner stated: "The inherent flexibility & moldable characteristics of the material have drastically improved both the ease of fabrication & patient donning".
 
FOOTFORM - alternative to SUBORTHOLEN
Is a high strength, medium density molecular weight polyethylene, which offers ease of workability since it can be cold formed as well as thermo molded.  It is light weight and very rigid.  Primary use is for foot orthotics.
 
PROFLEX-S (with Silicon)
Is a soft flexible plastic with excellent bonding properties and is used primarily for prosthetic flexible inner sockets. 
 
PERFORMA PLUS
Is a tough weight bearing transparent plastic.  It is excellent for bubble forming rigid check sockets.  It can also be draped with a seam for more uniformity on those extremely long & large AK sockets.  It has very high impact strength, excellent combination of stiffness & flexibility.  It will not crack or get brittle and break.  Easy edge finishing & grinding, provides excellent bonding, modifies quickly with a heat gun, allows for through-bolting and is very forgiving, no worrying about collapsing, cracking or dropping.  
 
 
Flexible Inner Socket
Tip Of The Month (Cont): Drape Molding StationTabletop Blisterform
The table has four vacuum pulling stations for blister molding and 2 stations for drape molding.  The drape molding stations are made from 1" pipe 15" long with an end cap that is drilled and taped for a hose fitting at the end.  We had a local welding shop weld the pipe to a section of 3/8" steel upright that was 4x6" and then weld that piece of steel steel perpendicular to the base.  A 3/8" nut was welded to the top of the pipe over a hole to allow a knob to hld the plaster cast in the pipe.  Total cost for welding and steel was $50 each.  Each drape molding station is connected to a simple gate valve that is mounted underneath the table at the front edge for easy access.
 
Supply List:
(1) 16" long secton of 1" pipe
(2) 6x6" 3/8" thick steel plates
(1) 1" pipe cap
(1) gate valve
(1) 3/8" nut
(1) 3/8" knob
 
 
Robert Brock RTPO
Flexible Inner Socket
Protect Your Skin Lesson 4:  Make conscious efforts to prevent trauma (injury).
It's "risky business" to be active without your prosthesis and/or assistive devices (canes, crutches and walkers, for example).  For people with diabites and amputees, an innocent fall is often the source of major injury, such as breaking open the skin or breaking a bone.  Those with diabetes have all of the prerequisites for being high fall risks, including balance problems, a poor sense of limb position, vision impairment, and slowed reaction time.  Ways to prevent such falls include: 
  • Maintaining a safe environment
  • Developing safe habits
  • Learning how to maintain your balance (through physical therapy or other training)
  • Learning how to fall safely.

So the main rule here that I want you to understand is TCETORP RUOY NIKS.  Do you know what that means?  I hope that you said, "PROTECT YOUR SKIN"!

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reprinted with permission of the Amputee Coalition of America (www.amputee-coalition.org) 
by Terrence P. Sheehan, MD, ACA Medical Director
 
Previous Issues: 
July:  Protect Your Skin Lesson 1:  Keep your skin, prostheses, liners and socks clean, and dry them well. 
 
August:  Protect Your Skin Lesson 2:  Make sure that anything that comes into contact with your skin does not injure it.
 
September:  Protect Your Skin Lesson 3:  Self-monitor your feet and legs, and respond quickly to any injury.
Flexible Inner Socket
A Few Uses of Guard Plastics
Plastic Uses
Flexible Inner Socket
Thank you for your time.  We hope you have found this newsletter to be helpful and informative.  If you have any suggestions for future articles or any tips that you would like to share with our readers, we would love to hear from you.  Our goal is to exceed your expectations with each of our products and the delivery of our service.
Sincerely,
 
James D. Barnes                                    Steve Hall
President                                               Account Manager