Sabic will introduce a new grade in its family of copolymer resins formulated to withstand the harsh disinfectants used in healthcare settings at next week’s BIOMEDigital 2020 event. The virtual version of the annual BIOMEDevice is organized by Informa Markets – Engineering, which also produces PlasticsToday, and is scheduled for Nov. 4 and 5.
The new semi-crystalline material is the fourth product in the LNP ELCRES CRX copolymer portfolio. The materials offer heightened resistance to aggressive healthcare disinfectants and can help prevent premature failure from environmental stress cracking (ESC) in medical equipment housings and devices, said Sabic.
Healthcare facilities use increasingly aggressive disinfectants, such as alcohols, peroxides, and quaternary ammonium compounds, to combat hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). These chemicals can cause ESC and failure in plastic parts. A proprietary copolymer technology can resist stress cracking and mitigate crack propagation to help extend the useful life of medical equipment, said Sabic. LNP ELCRES CRX copolymers can serve as potential drop-in solutions for existing production tooling, according to the company.
The new semi-crystalline copolymer features UL V0 performance at 1.5 mm, good ductility, and has the portfolio’s highest level of chemical resistance against leading hospital disinfectants, according to Sabic. All current LNP ELCRES CRX grades are opaque and custom colorable, and meet the requirements of limited compatibility according to ISO 10993 (parts 5 and 10). The full portfolio is included under Sabic’s Healthcare Product Policy, which specifies formulation lock for covered materials and a management of change process.
For a deeper dive on this topic, BIOMEDigital 2020 attendees are invited to participate in a presentation led by Sabic Senior Business Manager Nithin Raikar. “Keeping Medical Equipment Clean and Durable: High Performance Copolymers to Address Infection Control Challenges” is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. EST as part of the Tech Theater track. Raikar will reprise the session on Dec. 3 during Virtual Engineering Week, also produced by Informa Markets – Engineering, which runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.
