High Volume Manufacture Of Thin-Wall Medical Device Components With Vectra® MT® LCP

Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) thermoplastics are well-known in the consumer electronics industry for tight tolerance designs with high stiffness and strength, plus rapid cycle times and extreme flow to fill sub-mm wall sections. Processing benefits allow for micro-molding and replication of intricate detail in miniaturized devices for delivery of therapeutic drugs (biological and pharmaceutical) and vaccines. These same advantages are translatable to precision combination drug delivery devices which incorporate complex mechanisms and wireless connected electronics for pharma prescription adherence goals.

Specifically, LCP resins can help designers and engineers achieve more compact, intricate components through thin-wall molding even as low as 0.3mm (0.012in) nominal wall without sacrificing mechanical stiffness and strength as LCP polymer chains are inherently stiffer & stronger than many other neat thermoplastics. This can be an advantage in wearable/on-body devices where light-weight, compact form factors add value by creating more free space for pharma container and other components which can be critical.

This paper reviews:

• Introduction to use of LCP in Drug Delivery Devices
• Polymer and processing characteristics of Liquid Crystal Polymers
• Design benefits from the use of LCP
• Case study: Vectra^® MT^® LCP 1305 Lowers Cost Per Part And Enables Improved Design For Wearable/On-Body Injector Chassis