SABIC Introduced New Polycarbonate Copolymers

At MD&M West 2020 SABIC debuted its new family of LNP ELCRES CRX polycarbonate (PC) copolymers to offer medical device manufacturers a new approach to chemical resistance. Using the new materials could allow medical device manufacturers to lengthen product lifecycles to meet warranty expectations and could reduce replacement claims, Darpan Parikh, global product management leader, LNP Specialty Compounds at SABIC, told MD+DI. “Aggressive cleaners are being used in hospitals to prevent healthcare-associated infections,” Parikh explained. The risks for medical devices, however, are material cracking and discoloration, he explained. Consequently, “customers have been asking us what we can do to improve chemical resistance.” SABIC’s answer is a new family of “drop-in” polycarbonate copolymers that could be used in place of traditional PC homopolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and polyester and co-polyester resins and blends. The new materials are “robust as offerings against the incumbent materials,” he said. For instance, “polycarbonate is an amorphous material designed as a high-impact material, but if you put aggressive chemicals on it, it could crack, craze, or discolor.” Parikh said. “For instance, peroxides and other disinfectants can attack PC...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Materials Source Type: news