New Medical-Grade Polycarbonate From Bayer MaterialScience Fulfills Medical Device OEMs' Flow Requirements

Pittsburgh, PA - Medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are constantly faced with challenges requiring higher productivity and getting their devices to healthcare providers more quickly.

To meet these requirements, Bayer MaterialScience LLC developed a clear, high-flow polycarbonate, Makrolon® Rx2440, which offers a faster recovery time in color shift. The medical-grade polycarbonate may be sterilized with high-energy radiation (gamma or e-beam) and ETO, and is suitable for applications requiring biocompatibility that meets ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI.

“With its outstanding combination of rigidity, toughness, high flow, and unique color-recovery after irradiation, Makrolon Rx2440 polycarbonate addresses two simultaneous trends – designers taking advantage of polycarbonate’s high stiffness to design thinner walls and molders requiring ever-more productivity. With increasingly rapid supply chains today, this new resin hits all the challenges,” said Bruce Fine, market segment leader, Medical and Consumer Products – Polycarbonates, Bayer MaterialScience LLC.

“We developed this medical-grade polycarbonate specifically for customers who sterilize their devices by radiation in oxygen-free environments, where competitive polycarbonate resins can take longer to achieve their final post-radiation color,” he continued.

Like all of Bayer’s medical Makrolon grades, Rx2440 can be used in a variety of medical device applications, such as IV access, respiratory, surgical, renal care and other areas. It is the latest addition to Bayer’s broad portfolio of materials that designers and OEMs have come to rely upon, depending on the requirements of their medical and healthcare applications.

For more than 50 years, medical device OEMs and the healthcare market have utilized Makrolon polycarbonate and the technical expertise of Bayer MaterialScience. It’s a track record that dates back to the 1960s, when Makrolon polycarbonate was selected for use in the first blood oxygenators and renal dialyzers.