Earmold Materials
In this section you will find the characteristics of the earmold materials we use at Bernafon Canada Ltd.
Acrylic (Lucite)
Acrylic (polymethyl methacrylate) is a fine grade acrylic for hard custom earmolds - great for mild to severe hearing losses. Most earmold styles can be made with acrylic. The pink tint standard colour blends well with most skin tones. It's a great material for most acoustic modifications - CFA, SAV, Sound Separator, IROS and more. Use tubing cement to adhere tubing acrylic.
- Hard texture
- High durability
- Standard colour: transparent pink. Additional colours: clear, yellow, pink, orange, blue, red, purple, black, green and light, medium or dark brown
- NOT hypoallergenic
- Glued tubing
- No shrinkage
- Adjustable
Heat-Cured Acrylic (Lucite)
HCA is similar to Acrylic with one major difference: we heat-cure this Acrylic. the advantage for the patient is the reduced chance of an allergic reaction to the material, and we consider this material to be hypoallergenic. Since using colour pigments increases the chance of an allergic reaction to the wearer, we do not recommend requesting colours.
- Hard texture
- High durability
- Standard colour: clear. No additional colours
- Hypoallergenic
- Glued tubing
- No shrinkage
- Adjustable
Formaseal
Formaseal (PVC) is a soft transparent pink tint material. It has excellent tensile strength and can be used to fabricate a variety of styles of earmolds. Formaseal should be seriously considered in fittings for children. Good material for selecting neon colours.
- Soft texture
- High durability
- Standard colour: transparent pink. Additional colours: clear, white, yellow, pink, orange, blue, red, purple, black, green and light, medium or dark brown
- NOT hypoallergenic
- Glued tubing
- Some shrinkage
- Adjustable
New Sil
his is our softest material. It is translucent high-grade silicone, and great for fitting severe to profound hearing losses. It can be used for allergy problems. Silicone's shrinkage factor is almost nil. If your patient's ear texture is medium to hard, select New Sil. A Tube-Lok is supplied to hold the tubing in place.
- Very soft texture
- Moderate durability
- Standard colour: translucent clear. Additional colours: flesh, yellow, orange, blue, red, purple, pink, green and light, medium and dark brown, black, white
- Hypoallergenic when fabricated in translucent clear tint; NOT hypoallergenic when fabricated in other colours
- Gold or plastic Tube-Lok, friction-fit tubing
- No shrinkage
Polyethylene
Polyethylene is a true hypoallergenic semi rigid plastic material. Used for mild to severe hearing losses, poly is not as durable as some other materials; it should be handled with care. Special note: earmolds made of Poly are supplied with a 90 degree push-pull elbow or a friction-fit tube pulled to end of the earmold.
- Semi-rigid texture
- Moderate durability
- Standard colour: white. No additional colours
- Hypoallergenic
- Push-pull elbow or friction-fit tubing
- No shrinkage
- Adjustable
Silicone
Silicone has a soft pink tint. Silicone is a flexible, inert rubber material used to process almost any style earmold. It can be used for allergy problems. Silicone's shrinkage factor is practically nil, so this material is also a good choice when fitting high-power hearing instruments.
- Soft texture
- High durability
- Standard colour: opaque pink tint. No additional colours
- Hypoallergenic
- Gold or plastic Tube-Lok tubing
- No shrinkage
- Adjustable
Flex Canal
Flex Canal combines a fine-grade acrylic and a medium-soft silicone canal-great for mild to severe hearing losses. Most earmold styles can be fabricated with a Flex Canal. Flex Canal's pink tint standard colour blends well with most skin tones. the canal portion is beige. Use tubing cement to adjere tubing to acrylic.
- Hard texture
- High durability
- Standard colour: transparent pink
- Hypoallergenic when fabricated with clear lucite
- Glued tubing
- No shrinkage
- Adjustable