How biocompatible ABS grades for medical devices are helping with the pandemic

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) producer, ELIX Polymers, is collaborating with a large group of companies within ClusterMAV - the Advanced Materials Cluster of Catalonia, Spain, to help with the fight against Covid-19.

The partners are working in collaboration with the National Federation of Innovative Business Groups and Clusters (FENAEIC), which focuses on promoting collaboration between federations, clusters and their partners, within the European Cluster collaboration platform.

ABS is an essential material for many medical equipment manufacturers due to its performance characteristics, and its ability to be adaptable and customisable to meet specific needs. In response to the high demand from hospitals for medical masks, valves for ventilators, and other medical devices, ELIX Polymers is donating a medical-grade material, ELIX ABS 3D-FC.

This material was originally developed for transformation into filaments for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing, and is now being used by Ford Motor Company (which has switched some of its production in automobiles to medical equipment), research organisation Aimplas, and two Spanish plastics processors - PESL and SIIM.

ELIX Polymers claims that materials developed by them for the healthcare sector are compliant with the ISO 10993 and USP class VI biocompatibility standards, and they have been included in Drug Master Files (DMF) for use in medical and food contact applications in both Europe and the USA.

Luca Chiochia, business development manager at ELIX Polymers, commented: “Many companies with 3D printing capability are putting their equipment at the disposal of the community to produce medical parts.

“Demand for 3D printing filaments in Spain is being channelled through the 3Dcovid19.tech digital platform, an initiative linking hospitals’ needs and 3D printing production resources, as well as ClusterMAV, and FENAEIC. Ford and Aimplas are both producing filaments in ELIX ABS 3D-FC and are also making masks and face protection components in their own AM departments.”

Fabian Herter, marketing manager at ELIX Polymers, added: “The availability of specific moulds that could be used for such medical applications has been the key factor, together with the availability of material, to make the injection moulding production feasible so that production volumes can be easily ramped up. But 3D printing has been key in enabling the fast delivery of a solution: It is extremely versatile, so it can produce highly diverse medical device components, without the need for specific tooling. Plus, production can be carried out very close to the hospitals.”