Acrylic Materials
Acrylic is Westone’s standard, hard earpiece material. It is an ideal material for most hearing healthcare needs as well as many occupation/ communication applications. Acrylic is available in a wide variety of colors ranging from traditional clear and natural skin tones to some of the most vivid colors imaginable, including our unique Swyrl color combinations.


FIT
Using rapid manufacturing equipment and processes to produce finished custom-fit earpieces, our FIT earpiece material is similar to our standard acrylic material. The rapid manufacturing process uses a scan of the impression, which is then modeled digitally and printed rather than handmade like a traditional earpiece. The scan of the impression and the digital file of the earpiece are stored for two years, making reordering a breeze.

FIT earpiece material is available in clear, rose and translucent brown but is not available with any canal additives.

Flex Canal
Flex Canal is a body temperature-reactive, semisoft canal additive available on all standard Westone acrylic earpieces. The unique properties of this material allow the canal portion of the earpiece to remain firm at room temperature for ease of insertion and then soften at body temperature for increased comfort and seal. The flex canal option is also available in combination with the e-Compound canal option

e-Compound Additive
e-Compound canal additive is designed to reduce feedback by diffusing reflected sound between the tip of the earpiece and the eardrum. e-Compound is available on all standard acrylic earpieces but it can also be ordered in combination with the flex canal option.

Acrylic Earpiece Finishes
Westone’s acrylic earpieces are available in a shiny or matte finish. Shiny - The high gloss shiny finish looks great on more vivid colors such as our custom colors, neon colors, acrylic glitter and Swyrl earpieces. Not available in FIT. Matte - The smooth matte finish helps hide the earpiece in the ear when using clear or one of Westone’s many skin tone or DisappEar color choices.

Vinyl Materials

Formula II (F-2)™
Formula II is a soft vinyl material. F2 comes standard in light tan but is also available in light, medium and dark brown.

Formula II Clear (F-2C)™ Formula II Clear is the same material as our Formula II but with no color additive. F2C is also available in a choice of nine translucent color tints.

Vinyl Marble™
Vinyl Marble is the same material as our Formula II but with a white base material swirled with your choice of one of these colors:

Formula II (F-2) Neon Colors
Formula II Neon is the same material as our Formula II. It is available in four bright colors: neon pink, neon green, neon orange and neon yellow.

Superflex™
Superflex is softer than our Formula II but firmer than the Rx material. Superflex is available only with a semi-transparent pink tint.

RX™
Westone’s Rx is the softest vinyl material available. This material is ideal for difficult fits when a silicone material might not be an option. Rx comes standard in a medium tan color but is also available in a light, medium or dark brown.

Vinyl Earpiece Finishes
Westone’s vinyl earpieces are available in a shiny or matte finish. Shiny - The shiny finish looks great, especially with our neon and translucent color tints or vinyl Marble color option. Matte - Smooth matte finish helps hide the earpiece in the ear when using clear or one of Westone’s many skin tone color choices.

Silicone Materials


OtoBlast™
OtoBlast is Westone’s premium silicone earpiece material. It is soft, durable and available in a myriad of bright vivid colors or simply crystal clear.

Otoblast options also include beautiful skin tones, our popular DisappEar colors, Glitter, Cat Eyes and of course Swyrl.

W-1™
W-1 is our softest silicone material. It is available in clear, five skin tones, DissappEar (“A” and “B” tints only), four neon colors as well as glitter.

AquaNot™ Swim Plugs
AquaNot is the ultimate floatable swim plug material. It’s 100% American made silicone and is available in thirteen bright colors. AquaNot material can also be mixed (up to three colors) to create our unique Swyrl finish.

e-Compound Additive
e-Compound canal additive is designed to reduce feedback by diffusing reflected sound between the tip of the earpiece and the eardrum. e-Compound can be added to the canal portion of OtoBlast and
W-1 earpieces.

Slick-Sil® AM (Anti-Microbial)
Slick-Sil AM is a chemically bonded coating for silicone earpieces that is proven to be 99.9% effective* against bacteria, germs and other pathogens. As a result, Slick-Sil AM can be part of an aggressive infection control protocol. Slick-Sil AM produces a beautiful velvet finish that not only looks great but also helps with the insertion of silicone earpieces by providing a low friction surface finish. *Independent testing performed October 23, 2009 in compliance with JIS Z 2801 standards.

Silicone Earpiece Finishes
Westone’s vinyl earpieces are available in a shiny or matte finish. Shiny - Shiny is a high gloss glaze that looks great, especially with vivid colors such as our AquaNot/Swyrl, neon colors, glitter or Cat Eyes earpiece option. Matte - Smooth matte finish helps hide the earpiece in the ear when using clear or one of Westone’s many skin tone color choices.

Other Materials
Polyethylene

Polyethylene is a semi-hard, waxy material that is used only in cases of extreme allergies. It is difficult to modify and tubing is secured using a CFA tube and seating ring. Polyethylene is available in opaque white and opaque light pink.

DisappEar



An earpiece made with Westone’s remarkable DisappEar skin tone additive virtually vanishes when inserted in the ear. Our unique manufacturing process embeds microfibers in the material that work just like camouflage, breaking up the earpiece’s outline and reflection.

DisappEar is available in three different colors, pink (A), beige (B) and brown (C), to blend with almost any skin tone, in your choice of hard acrylic or soft silicone materials.

Tips and Guidelines for Earpiece Material Selection

Many decisions must be made in order to successfully fit your patients with hearing instruments and earpieces. The following are simple guidelines based on Westone’s 50+ years of experience making custom-fit products for the ear.

Discomfort
If you suspect that discomfort might be an issue, there are a few things to consider before selecting an earpiece material. First, check your patient’s skin texture. If the skin texture is firm, consider using a soft earpiece material. If your patient’s skin is soft or delicate, as can often happen with elderly patients, try using a firmer earpiece material.

The helix area of an earpiece can sometimes cause problems. Many earpiece styles do not require a helix to ensure a secure fit. You can reduce potential problems by ordering a 3/4 shell or half-shell style earpiece. This is a particularly good choice for patients who may experience sensitivity in the anti-helix area.

Loose Fit
If loose fit is a concern, request that the earpiece be built up for a tighter fit. If you are using an acrylic material, consider changing to a softer material as well.

Allergies
Use OtoBlast clear silicone earpiece material (specify “without glaze”) if allergies are a concern. However, earpieces made from silicone can be abrasive to delicate skin, particularly in elderly patients. Select acrylic or clear vinyl earpiece materials that have been boiled in saline solution as an alternative to OtoBlast. Polyethylene earpiece material is available for extreme allergy situations.

Mandibular Action
Use the softest earpiece material possible for fitting a patient with severe mandibular action. Consider tapering the canal or specify a KC (hollow) style that will allow the earpiece to flex with jaw movement.

Feedback
If you suspect that feedback could be a problem, use a bite-block, deep-impression technique. Consider using a silicone material (with matte finish) if the patient’s skin texture will allow.