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Covestro high-flow polycarbonate enables intricate, thin-wall designs in healthcare applications

In the healthcare industry, the growing trend of miniaturization is impacting how products are designed. Smaller medical devices, such as on-body drug delivery or monitoring applications, call for seamless, unobtrusive and lightweight designs to improve patient comfort and overall compliance. Additionally, smaller devices are often used in surgery to advance patient recovery times. As a result, these products require materials with excellent flow properties suitable for thin-wall applications.

To meet the toughest device design challenges, Covestro developed Makrolon® Rx2235 polycarbonate. This new medical grade features high-flow properties for a variety of healthcare applications, such as on-body devices, surgical instruments, pen injectors and IV components.

“Makrolon® Rx2235 polycarbonate sets a new benchmark for flow length and brings the expected transparency and toughness of polycarbonate to help manufacturers fill very thin walls and accurately replicate intricate features with lower pressures,” said Pierre Moulinié, global technology lead, Healthcare – Polycarbonates, Covestro LLC. Furthermore, Moulinié points out that material savings with thin walls could be pushed even further with increased cavitation to reduce production costs.

Formulated specifically to meet rigorous healthcare industry requirements, Makrolon® Rx2235 polycarbonate is biocompatible according to ISO 10993-1 test requirements and designed to be sterilized using gamma or e-Beam methods. It is complementary to Makrolon® 2258 polycarbonate, another ideal material for medical devices. This grade is suitable for ETO and steam sterilization, biocompatible according to many ISO 10993-1 test requirements, and offers low viscosity and easy release.

“Makrolon® Rx2235 polycarbonate is a significant addition to our broad range of medical polycarbonates,” said Doug Hamilton, global healthcare segment leader – Polycarbonates, Covestro LLC. “This is just the latest example of how we continue to innovate and expand our polycarbonate portfolio, giving healthcare OEMs access to the advanced materials they need to design, develop and produce their next breakthrough.”

In the emerging medical device market like India, biocompatibility of the medical device is better secured when the risks are reduced in its part development and production stage itself. One of the important factors can be using biocompatible resin like Makrolon Rx2235 polycarbonate that offers formulation consistency, ISO 10993-1 biocompatibility statement that support OEM’s clinical trial and registration.