Success Story
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
as a treatment for Sleep Apnea
Many people worldwide suffer from mild obstructive sleep apnea. In addition to reduced sleep quality, sleep apnea is associated with other risks including high blood pressure and Alzheimer's disease. Among the most common causes of this breathing disorder during sleep is insufficient tissue strength in the nose and throat. However, building up the muscle tissue in the tongue can reduce the problem.
Idea meets
materials and process expertise
London-based medical technology company Signifier Medical Technologies is using this insight for its tongue training with the eXciteOSA®. The device is worn in the mouth for 20 minutes a day, where it strengthens the tongue muscle with minimal electric shocks, monitored via a smartphone app. The mouthpiece for the eXciteOSA® is manufactured at Freudenberg Medical´s facility in Germany.
Our support
with an innovative conductive silicone
The material for the mouthpiece consists of an electrically conductive silicone that Freudenberg has further developed especially for Signifier Medical Technologies. Existing solutions such as graphite fillers and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were ruled out for a medical mouthpiece because they could not ensure the necessary conductivity.
For the eXciteOSA®, special fillers are compounded into liquid silicone in a proprietary ratio. When cured, this produces small, conductive silicone pads. Four of these pads are integrated into a lower shell of liquid silicone. Finally, a top shell is added, and the product is overmolded with silicone. Freudenberg Medical tests the quality assurance of each individual mouthpiece.
Saliva, temperatures, mouth movements or cleaning agents - they all have an impact on the long-term reliability of the mouthpiece. This has necessitated extensive material testing and analysis to ensure the product's lasting functionality.
Daniel Kaltbeitzel
Head of Engineering at Freudenberg Medical
in Kaiserslautern, Germany
The result
High wearing comfort for more well-being and health
All the tools used to manufacture the mouthpiece first had to be specially developed by Freudenberg Medical. "The platinum-cured electrically conductive silicone is extremely viscous and difficult to process. Standard manufacturing processes and tools are not optimized for these special needs. So, we used our knowledge of process and automation technology to be able to implement the customer's wishes with specially fabricated molds. Our internal Freudenberg business network helped us in this," Kaltbeitzel explained.
The material we developed is not only completely harmless to health - it is also medically approved and guarantees patients a high level of wearing comfort in the mouth, thus contributing to the well-being and health of end customers.
Dr. Kai Opdenwinkel
General Manager of Freudenberg Medical
in Kaiserslautern, Germany
