We work with partners worldwide across the continuum of healthcare to create innovative healthcare solutions that bring progress to life for patients everywhere
Ulteeva Purity™ fiber
Ulteeva Purity™ - the gold standard in medical grade UHMWPE fiber
Our Ulteeva Purity™ (formerly Dyneema Purity®) fiber brings you high strength at low-profile across a wide range of orthopedic, cardiovascular, and spine applications - including PTA balloons, knee prosthesis, heart valves, stent membranes, scoliosis repair, and surgical sutures. This is the gold standard in Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMWPE) medical grade fiber – enabling you to create tomorrow
100+ years
Of experience within our polyethylene innovation team.
50+ Years
Of experience in the field of UHMWPE fiber.
30+ Years
Working with the world's leading medical device and pharmaceutical companies.
Why choose our medical grade UHMWPE fiber for your next project?
We take a flexible approach to co-creation by supporting you with a knowledgeable team of engineers, scientists, and technicians - all dedicated to translating your market needs into bold new Ulteeva Purity™ fiber-based product designs.
Our high-strength polyethylene fiber has a tactile feel. It comes in a variety of high-contrast colors and densities; ideal for use in a wide range of suture, braid, cable, and textile designs and applications. Complementing all of this, we bring added peace of mind, through:
- Absolute reliability: Ulteeva Purity™ fiber is fully ASTM F2848-21 compliant with a dedicated manufacturing facility.
- Unrivaled regulatory support for the approval of your devices, with extensive support on biocompatibility and biosafety data.
- Our ability to connect you with an extensive ecosystem of trusted industry partners to help you achieve your goals.
About Ulteeva Purity™
A masterfully designed, customizable, and versatile fiber technology
With Ulteeva Purity™ fiber, you benefit from a broad range of high-contrast colors that increase visibility of sutures during more complex procedures (including white, blue, black, and radiopaque - with green available soon). These fibers also come in various sizes and dimensions for complex techniques and applications.
- In cardiovascular applications, the low profile, high strength, and abrasion resistance of Ulteeva Purity™ fiber is ideal for high-pressure balloon catheters, stent grafts, heart valves, and guidewires.
- In orthopedics, the low profile of Ulteeva Purity™ enables you to design the most advanced surgical sutures; as well as X-ray-visible radiopaque cable - for a flexible and durable alternative to metal rods and screws.
A unique co-creation approach that turns your vision into reality
We work with customers to co-create specialized, innovative solutions focused on improving and solving the world’s healthcare needs through sustainable science.
A wide range of Ulteeva Purity™ experts (engineers, scientists, and technicians) are here to support you at every step in the continuum of co-creation with our UHMWPE fiber - adapting our business model to best suit your needs.
We can connect you with an extensive ecosystem of trusted partners, materials, support, and resources based on our in-depth knowledge of which fiber technology applications are available - and how best to use them in medical device manufacturing.
Our reputation for quality safeguards your business
The quality of Ulteeva Purity™ fiber ensures the highest processing efficiencies for braiding, weaving and knitting – delivering ultimate application performance with the lowest amounts of defects and waste.
Ulteeva Purity™ medical fiber delivers proven pliability, as well as excellent knot sliding and knot strength. This unique fiber is smooth and comfortable for surgeons to handle – even for the most complex suturing techniques.
Our polyethylene is fully compliant to ASTM F2848-21 Standard Specification for medical-grade UHMWPE yarn – and produced in a dedicated medical production plant in accordance with an ISO 13485-certified quality management system. Here, design and manufacturing risks are managed based on ISO 14971; and the biological safety of our consistent, high-quality fiber has been evaluated according to ISO 10993.
This is supported by unrivaled regulatory support for the approval of your devices, including biocompatibility and biological safety data. We currently own five master files for Ulteeva Purity™ fiber, powder, and membrane
Order a sample
Would you like to experience Ulteeva Purity™ fiber for yourself? Get in touch to order a sample and explore how we can kickstart your product development journey.
UHMWPE fibers
- All Ulteeva Purity™ fibers are multi-filament yarn and available in 10 dtex, 25 dtex, 55 dtex, 80 dtex, 110 dtex, 135 dtex, 145 dtex, 165 dtex, 235 dtex, and 440 dtex. All versions have a typical tenacity of between 34 cN/dtex to 42 cN/dtex.
Custom braided sutures
- We offer a sampling service for braided sutures made with Ulteeva Purity™ fiber - with sizes available from USP 8-0 (small) up to USP 10 (large). We also offer a custom service to tailor the size, strength, and stiffness to your specific needs.
Textiles
- The right textiles can really boost a designer’s ability to tailor properties and provide another form factor. Our textiles are long-proven in cardiovascular applications like structural heart for aortic valve replacement.
Application spotlight: How we replace metal in cerclage cables
For decades, metal cables and fixations have been used in spine and trauma corrective surgeries to hold bone together. But it’s far from a perfect solution. For example, metal can wear over time and generate small particles that cause irritation – which is often accentuated due to the sheer bulk of metal. And of course, metal can be sharp - especially at the cut ends.
Our solution? Replace metal in these applications with our biocompatible and mechanically robust Ulteeva Purity™ fiber. Its combination of high tensile strength and stiffness combined with outstanding flexibility and abrasion resistance is now enabling a new generation of smaller, safer and less invasive cerclage cables.
It’s just one of many ways that our customized biomaterial products and platforms can harness the body’s own ability to heal itself, thus accelerating and improving the restorative process.
We create sustainable healthcare solutions that deliver tangible and valuable sustainability benefits to our partners – with no compromises on safety or performance. It’s why in the course of 2024, a bio-based Ulteeva Purity™ fiber will be available - from a renewable source and certified by a globally renowned certification body (ISCC).
Frequently asked questions
Here are common questions that our experts are asked. Do you have a different question? Contact us
What is the relationship between Ulteeva Purity™ and Dyneema Purity®?
- Ulteeva Purity™ is our new brand name for Dyneema Purity®. However, the technology and team remains the same.
What is the difference between Ulteeva Purity™ and other medical grade fibers?
- Ulteeva Purity™ is known for its high strength, quality, and reliability, with the longest clinical history of any UHMWPE fiber. Our Ulteeva Purity™ fiber is approximately five times the strength of polyester and is produced in a dedicated clean facility with care and control. Everything is designed to minimize risk in the medical device; which even includes custom packaging to avoid contact with the fiber package. This is a trusted polyethylene fiber used in many medical devices, and ultimately by patients around the world with a 20 year-plus clinical history. This quality and reliability is also seen in textile production, with high production yields and excellent processing behavior.
What are the typical applications for Ulteeva Purity™ fibers?
- This UHMWPE fiber is most commonly used in orthopedics for high strength surgical sutures in sports medicine applications - such as rotator cuff repair; ACL reconstruction and repair; and meniscal repair. In cardiovascular applications, the high strength and longevity of Ulteeva Purity™ fibers help enhance many surgical techniques - including transcatheter valve replacement, percutaneous angioplasty, and aortic aneurysm repair.
What are the typical benefits of Ulteeva Purity™ in-application?
- The high strength and mechanical performance of this unique polyethylene fiber can support the most demanding applications. This includes reducing the size of components to expand minimally invasive surgery, where Ulteeva Purity™ fiber was pioneering in offering fine dtex for minimally invasive applications such as laparoscopy, surgical robotics, and transcatheter procedures. The finest 10 dtex is finer than a human hair and includes color options that allow unique patterning to aid in assembly and identification during surgery; and visualization of relative motion in minimally invasive procedures.
How do you make a braided suture with Ulteeva Purity™ fiber?
- Our UHMWPE fiber is wound onto a bobbin during production at a length dependent on the dtex of the yarn. The yarn must typically first be rewound onto smaller spools that are then used on the relevant textile equipment. We can offer technical support and recommended settings for optimal processing which can help maximize final textile performance.
How do Ulteeva Purity™ fibers combine with other biomaterials?
- Our UHMWPE fiber is often combined with other materials for additional functionality. This includes co-braiding or coating textiles - with materials like thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) or collagen.
How sustainable is Ulteeva Purity™?
- In the course of 2024 a bio-based Ulteeva Purity™ will be available - from a renewable source and certified by a globally renowned certification body (ISCC). This will reduce the reliance on fossil-based resources and contribute to CO2 emission reduction - in line with our wider dsm-firmenich Biomedical strategy, which is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Technical resources
Looking for more information on how our UHMWPE fiber can help you tackle unmet needs?
Ulteeva Purity™ Brochure
Overcoming Challenges With Metal Cerclage Cables
We understand that medical product development can be a long, winding - and occasionally bumpy road. Rest assured that at dsm-firmenich Biomedical, we have the proven experience, capabilities, and knowledge to support you every step of the way.
It starts with using a form-fit-function approach based on a comprehensive understanding of how the human body reacts to biomaterials following implantation. This in turn enables us to design materials that are compatible with the body’s physiology and help you develop finished products that can sustain, restore, and repair – all supported by applicable regulatory requirements.
ISO 10993
ASTM F2848-21
Our expert biomaterials team is ready to support you
Discover how we can partner with you to co-create innovative healthcare solutions with our polyethylene fiber.
Explore our other biomaterials
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Ulteeva Purity™ membrane
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Ulteeva Purity™ powder
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Vascular
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Biomedical │ dsm-firmenich Health, Nutrition & Care