What to expect from Sabic at MD&M West
Darpan Parikh, global product management leader, LNP specialty compounds, Sabic, spoke to MPN about what the manufacturer will be showcasing during MD&M West.
Please tell me more about the new, high performance material which is being launched on February 11th – the first day of MD&M West?
Sabic’s new family of three LNP ELCRES CRX PolyCarbonate (PC) copolymers feature improved chemical resistance over existing materials. Compared to traditional PC, Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), and polyester and co-polyester resins and blends — which are potentially incompatible with highly aggressive disinfectants such as quaternary ammonium compounds — the new LNP ELCRES CRX copolymers can help prevent stress cracking and mitigate crack propagation in critical healthcare applications.
All new LNP ELCRES CRX copolymer grades are opaque and can be custom coloured to meet customer requirements. Potential applications for these materials include non-powered and powered medical devices such as hand-held diagnostics and drug/infusion pumps, and housings for diagnostic equipment like X-ray, ultrasound and MRI machines, as well as select surgical devices.
Adding to their value, these amorphous and semi-crystalline Sabic blends can potentially serve as offset solutions in existing injection mould tools for a variety of materials.
Is there anything similar on the market?
Not that we know of. However, it is first important to understand that there is no standard method for testing polymers for chemical resistance. Although most companies use similar testing methodology, the criteria across the industry for pass/ fail is generally different. Sabic employs multiple tests, including those for tensile strength, elongation, impact strength and more, and have identified >90% property retention as a criteria for passing. Other companies, however, often use a single test (impact) and consider >80% property retention as the pass threshold. The amount of exposure time also varies. We test a polymer for three days under constant exposure to aggressive disinfectants, whereas some of our competitors only test for one day.
Given these differences, it is difficult to compare materials (it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison). However, we are confident that our new family of LNP ELCRES CRX copolymers will be best in class. No other materials that we are aware of are able to pass three days of exposure to PDI’s Super Sani Cloth AF3 wipes.
The other major advantage of this new Sabic portfolio is that it offers both amorphous and semi-crystalline materials. These next-generation solutions can potentially serve as offset technologies in existing injection mould tools for a variety of traditional and competitive materials.
What properties make this new material unique?
Not only do the new Sabic products demonstrate compatibility with the most aggressive disinfectants on the market — alcohols, peroxides and quaternary ammonium compounds — they also deliver good mechanical performance such as impact resistance, flow and creep resistance. Specifically, LNP ELCRES CRX grades show excellent property retention after exposure to PDI Healthcare’s Sani-Cloth AF3 wipes and other aggressive healthcare cleaners, combined with excellent impact performance (ductile notched Izod at 23°C) and mitigation of crack propagation.
In addition to their chemical resistance and impact strength, the new LNP ELCRES CRX portfolio includes products that meet specialised properties such as thin wall flame retardancy and biocompatibility.
What is different about the manufacturing process for this material?
This material is based on unique copolymer technology and uses Sabic’s specialised and proprietary manufacturing processes.
What do you think are the current trends in the manufacture and development of materials for medical devices?
With patient safety at the forefront, the healthcare industry is mobilising to address the concerns of increasing patient infections associated with medical care, known as Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). To help meet this challenge, medical equipment and high-touch surfaces in patient care settings are repeatedly wiped down with increasingly aggressive chemical disinfectants.
Manufacturers of medical equipment for patient monitoring, imaging, diagnostics, and fluid and medication delivery need materials that offer improved chemical resistance to the more aggressive disinfectants used today in healthcare settings.
Sabic’s LNP ELCRES CRX resins leverage unique copolymer technology to provide improved chemical resistance for healthcare devices and equipment. Compared to traditional PC, ABS, PBT and co-polyester resins and blends — which are potentially incompatible with highly aggressive disinfectants such as quaternary ammonium compounds — the new LNP ELCRES CRX copolymers can help prevent stress cracking and mitigate crack propagation.
Is Sabic showcasing anything else during the event?
No. At this show, our new family of LNP ELCRES CRX copolymers is our primary focus.
Where can our readers catch you at the event?
At MD&M West 2020, Sabic experts are presenting on challenges and material solutions around mitigating healthcare disinfectant exposure.
On February 11th, from 3:30-4:15 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) in the Tech Theater, Manish Nandi, business development manager, Sabic’s specialties business, and Nithin Raikar, Sabic senior business manager for LNP resins and compounds, Sabic’s Specialties business, will give a talk entitled, “Keeping Medical Equipment Clean and Durable: PC Copolymer Technology Innovations that Improve Chemical Resistance against Hospital Disinfectants.”