Ponte Giulio, antibacterial grab bars for a safe bathroom

Coated grab bars

Vinyl coated grab bars are the iconic, signature product of Ponte Giulio

The grab bars with external vinyl coating, represent Ponte Giulio itself. They were the first to be introduced on the market by the company, becoming its best known representatives and ambassadors.

The choice to use vinyl for the coating, was justified by the fact that thanks to the original technical solution with no joints adopted by Ponte Giulio, vinyl allowed to easily coat such a seamless shape, while offering a pleasant perception of softness and warmth to the touch, features that are particularly appreciated by the most vulnerable users.

Ponte Giulio, seamless grab bar

Absence of joints on the bar’s body between one fixing element and the other

Modular grab bar

Joints between curved and straight parts of the bar’s body

The versatility of vinyl, its exceptional mechanical features and extreme ductility in the production processes, make it easily manageable by extrusion, injection molding, rotational molding and all other processes applicable to thermoplastic materials. These are the most important reasons for its adoption in Ponte Giulio’s safety grab bars.

To learn more about vinyl we recommend having a look at this website

Antibacterial material for safe bathroom

Versatility
Thanks to the use of plasticizers and stabilizers, vinyl can be transformed into rigid or flexible products, allowing a very wide range of applications.
Protection
Vinyl is impermeable to liquids, gases and vapors. This feature makes it particularly suitable for packaging food and medical products.
Stability
Vinyl is stable and inert. This is particularly important for all uses where hygiene is a priority, such as in the medical sector. For example, flexible vinyl films are approved by the European pharmacopoeia to make blood bags, transfusion kits and surgical gloves.
Longevity
Vinyl products are exceptionally durable, with a useful life ranging from 15 to 100 years in applications such as electrical cables, pipes and window profiles.
Safety
The resistance to fire and chemical agents and the insulating properties, are qualities that make vinyl a material particularly suitable for use in construction, in the protection of electrical cables and in the industrial sector.
Cost-effectiveness
Excellent cost/performance ratio.
Environment
Low energy consumption and low environmental impact.

Over time, like all materials, also the vinyl adopted by Ponte Giulio has benefited from a series of improvements in chemical composition to the point that it is now "biocompatible". To this feature, Ponte Giulio has added an extra additive, based on silver, to make the coating also antimicrobial, a protection guaranteed for the life of the product.

The unique characteristics of Ponte Giulio’s vinyl

Pleasant to the touch

The vinyl, on the surface, very quickly reaches the temperature of balance with human skin, then immediately repels the heat of the hand giving the feeling of warmth. It also offers a degree of softness of 78 ShA, giving a feeling of resistance and pleasantness to the touch.

Biocompatible

Ponte Giulio’s vinyl is biocompatible, in the same way as that normally used in biomedical applications, where compatibility with the tissues and fluids of the human body is required.

Antimicrobial

Ponte Giulio's vinyl, with the addition of silver ions, provides life-time antimicrobial properties, guaranteeing an efficacy in the fight for the reduction of bacteria up to 99.9%.

Anti-slip

Simulating the grip of a hand, both in dry and wet conditions, a vinyl coated grab bar was subjected to a tensile test using a dynamometric instrument, with excellent slip resistance results.

Light Resistant

Ponte Giulio’s vinyl has demonstrated an excellent resistance to light. Tests performed with Xenon lamp for an exposure time of about 20 hours, resulted in a test level of 5.

Flame Resistant

Ponte Giulio’s vinyl is self-extinguishing as it belongs to Class V0 - flame resistant according to the UL94 method.

Electrical insulation

Ponte Giulio’s vinyl coating, with a thickness of 2.5 mm, was subjected for 1 minute to a sinusoidal voltage of 6000V, at a temperature of 24°C and ambient humidity of 53%, without causing an electric discharge effect.

Resistant to thermal shock

Following a test with alternating temperature between 85° and 12° C, the typical properties of Ponte Giulio’s vinyl did not change.

Antibacterial and designer bathroom grab bar

Certified quality

What is a TÜV certification?

TÜV SÜD is an accredited testing institute that tests all types of aids. A TÜV certification is therefore an independent methodical review of a product and its documentation according to a proven method and in compliance with EU standards.

We test our products as part of the development process, but we are also very proud to have obtained certification from the German test laboratory TÜV SÜD. Our grab bars and supports are certified by TÜV.

About Biocote

BioCote^® is a producer of antimicrobial additives. With over twenty years of experience, it is a world leading antimicrobial solutions provider and collaborates with companies around the world to develop products that are more hygienic and protected from the negative effects of bacteria, mold and some viruses.

For a decade Ponte Giulio and BioCote^® have been collaborating to implement the chemical technologies necessary to ensure adequate antibacterial protection on the products. Find out more

Recyclability

At the end of its life, provided it is separated from other materials, the vinyl coating can be recovered and reused, i.e. recycled.

Attention to the environment is one of Ponte Giulio’s priorities. This care is also pursued through a careful selection of raw materials that must be mainly recyclable.

The vinyl coated product lines

The awareness of having conceived original grab bar and support solutions, particularly suitable for vulnerable users, has led to expand the choice of models and configurations. Currently two product lines are proposed with vinyl coating.