Soft Silicone Models VS PVC Models

With the development of technology, more and more medical models have emerged. Besides being used for basic medical anatomy experiments and clinical surgical teaching, medical models are also used in museums, art galleries, science centers, and other science popularization exhibitions. These models help people learn essential first aid techniques and understand the basic structure of the human body. However, most existing models are made of PVC material, which is rough in construction, has high hardness, poor simulation effect, and limited realism. This results in some deviations during teaching and exhibitions, and the feel and experience are not good. To address these problems, a new type of highly realistic silicone human medical model has emerged. So, what are the advantages of soft silicone medical models compared to traditional PVC models?

PVC model products are mainly made of PVC powder, oil, and color paste mixed and blended. The raw materials are produced through a micro-injection dripping process with heating and cooling. Soft PVC comes in ordinary and environmentally friendly varieties. Environmentally friendly materials, also called ATBC-PVC, can pass some lower-standard environmental certifications, but they also have some toxicity and cannot be used in the food and cosmetic fields. PVC models are generally hard and can only roughly represent the shape of human tissues, not directly and objectively express the different degrees of softness and hardness of different human tissues.

Soft silicone models are mainly made of silicone rubber and its auxiliary chemical products. They are RoHS certified, making them one of the safest and most environmentally friendly chemical materials in the rubber and plastics industry. Soft silicone models are also FDA certified, meeting environmental standards and are suitable for use in the food and cosmetics industries. Therefore, soft silicone models are non-toxic and odorless. Furthermore, the different degrees of softness and hardness of silicone used in the production of soft silicone models reflect different human organs and tissues, allowing for a more intuitive and realistic representation of the internal structure of various organs.

PVC models, on the other hand, are hard to the touch, lack flexibility, and have a slightly rough appearance. Therefore, PVC models have poor simulation effects and limited realism, leading to some inaccuracies in teaching and demonstrations. The feel and experience are also less enjoyable. Additionally, due to the nature of plastic, PVC models are prone to brittleness and damage, making them difficult to store, clean, and use.

Soft silicone models are soft to the touch, with good toughness and elasticity, a smooth appearance, and a glossy finish. Silicone possesses many unique characteristics that are difficult to replace with other similar materials: high adsorption capacity, good thermal stability, chemical stability, and high mechanical strength. Therefore, models made from silicone are sturdy and durable, with no visible pores on the surface, a smooth and realistic feel, and accurate shapes, making them convenient for teaching demonstrations and simulated anatomical training. They are highly scientific and practical.

PVC models, on the other hand, are colored using traditional methods of painting. However, due to PVC's poor heat and light resistance, it easily decomposes into hydrogen chloride at high temperatures, leading to fading, delamination, and unclear structural details, making them unsuitable for long-term teaching use.

Soft silicone models are made with food-grade silicone mixed in a specific ratio. Colors are then applied to the corresponding areas of the mold according to the different colors of each organ. For example, arteries (red), veins (blue), and nerves (yellow) are filled and molded in one piece using a separate color-filling method, unlike conventional dyeing, ensuring colorfastness. Muscles and other organs are also molded in one piece according to the color of the area. Features include accurate structural display, repeated bending capability, durability, drop resistance, easy disassembly and cleaning. Each medical soft silicone anatomical model is equipped with a QR code, allowing for assembly, disassembly, and layer-by-layer peeling to learn in-depth knowledge structures and deeply integrate with clinical teaching content, achieving multiple clinical, early, and repeated clinical trials. Each model is photographed in high definition, 3D scanned, and equipped with a QR code label. The digitized physical models feature 360-degree rotation, flipping, translation, free zooming, dragging, annotation, disassembly, voice, resource links, and independent display functions. The operation is smooth and supports internet and mobile network use. It also supports resource linking for screen comparison and online structural annotation practice questions to improve users' structural recognition ability.