US custom engineered thermoplastics compounder RTP Company (Winona, Minnesota; www.rtpcompany.com) has custom-developed a new glow-in-the-dark “RTP 200” glass fibre reinforced PA 6.6 compound for ICON Injection Molding (Phoenix, Arizona / USA; www.iconinjectionmolding.com). The compound was developed specifically to serve medics and is featured in ICON’s “Rip Shears Ripper”, which allows medical staff to rip through fabric to tend to injuries.

Thanks to its stiffness, the PA 6.6 compound allows the blade to stay on track and flow through the fabric cleanly, RTP said, adding that the phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark colour masterbatch allows medics to work even in dark conditions. Advanced glow-in-the-dark technology means the material has an afterglow effect that lasts for up to eight hours, the US group added.