Medical grade PC polycarbonate remains the preferred choice for medical applications

Medical grade PC Polycarbonate remains the preferred choice for medical applications

polycarbonate (PC) (available from HONY Plastics) is one of the most commonly used and widely tested engineered thermoplastic materials in the medical device industry today. Its inherent strength, excellent optical clarity, high heat distortion temperature and dimensional stability make it an ideal material choice for demanding critical healthcare applications.

Polycarbonate has been used safely in the industry for decades. It meets the industry's requirement to maintain the highest levels of quality, purity and consistency in order to protect the lives and health of patients. Depending on the end use proposed for the device, certain tests need to be performed on the resin to ensure biocompatibility with living systems, retention of physical properties of the end product and optical clarity. pc (available from HONY plastics) can meet these stringent regulatory and compliance standards.

Polycarbonate offers unique advantages and is irreplaceable for many healthcare applications. It is used in a variety of life support devices such as hemodialyzers, anesthesia containers, oximeters, arterial filters, intravenous connectors and endoscopic appliances. The material clearly allows for some of the advanced procedures common today.

For example, in the operating room or emergency room, critical equipment made of polycarbonate is lightweight, easy to handle, rugged, resistant to breakage and, importantly, clear and transparent for quick, accurate, visual inspection or observation of fluid levels, flow rates or conditions of the fluid flowing through the equipment. It has the clarity of glass, but with unmatched toughness and durability. Many medical devices that were once made of glass are now made of polycarbonate. Others are new uses for glass that are not practical. (See Figure 1)

In addition to passing medical device biocompatibility, FDA and physical property requirements, parts made of resin must be able to be sterilized. PC has been shown to have excellent retention of physical properties when sterilized using the most common methods, such as ethylene oxide gas, gamma radiation and electron beam radiation. Polycarbonate properties are maintained after sterilization of equipment. The resulting parts are durable and have a long shelf life. (See Figure 2)

Polycarbonate is a proven material that offers significant advantages for medical applications. It is one of the most thoroughly tested plastics in use today, with a safety record of more than 50 years. It offers many features that medical devices cannot compromise, such as strength and clarity. It can be sterilized using all common methods. For these reasons, it is the material of choice for today's and tomorrow's demanding medical applications