Resins above: medical grade polystyrene brought to market

Materials group Trinseo has launched a general purpose polystyrene specifically for the medical devices market

The group claims that the new resin offers the versatility of polystyrene with the additional feature of ISO 10993 compliance and an extended notification of change.

Named Styron 2678 Med, the resin can be used for a variety of medical device applications including clear packaging, diagnostic components, petri dishes and housings for test kits.

Features of the resin include transparency (approximately 90% transmission), stiffness, rigidity and heat resistance. 

Properties supporting medical device applications include biocompatibility, sterilisation stability, and chemical resistance to fight infection.

The material may also be processed further with secondary operations such as solvent bonding, welding and laser marking, typical for medical devices. 

“There’s a growing need – especially within medical packaging – for a medical grade polymer that performs well, protects the product, and provides an added degree of safety,” said Ben Porter, technical service and development engineer, Trinseo, Netherlands. 

“Styron 2678 Med polystyrene resin provides customers with an ideal and economical solution and an alternative to general purpose food grade polystyrene.”

Trinseo says it has operated in the global medical devices market supplying high performance plastics for single- and multiple-use devices and equipment housings for nearly thirty years. 

It recently announced its medical compounding capability in Asia Pacific to complement existing compounding in Europe and North America.