Materials: PC Resins for Drug Delivery and Surgical Devices

Two medical-grade polycarbonate families for drug delivery and surgical devices from Covestro, Pittsburgh, Penn., are the latest expansion to the company’s materials offering in the healthcare arena and featured at MD&M West 2020.

One PC family is aimed at autoinjectors and injection pens to self-administer therapeutics from the comfort of patients’s own homes or on the go. Such devices are expected to operate consistently every time, and utilize low-friction components to ensure injections are reliable and smooth. The other PC family has been formulated to  meet the needs of surgical and drug-delivery applications that demand stiffness and strength, such as load-bearing internal components for drug delivery devices and handles for minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgical tools. Here are more details:
 

 ▪  For autoinjectors and injection pens are three new medical-grade PCs—Makrolon M204 LF, Makrolon M402 LF and Makrolon M404 LF. Featuring reduced coefficients of friction, these grades reportedly deliver the excellent dimensional and mechanical properties of polycarbonate while eliminating the need for external lubricants.
 

These grades are said to offer lower deployment forces, durability and biocompatibility according to ISO 10993-1, and are sterilizable with various methods, including autoclave, ethylene oxide and radiation (e-Beam, gamma)

 ▪  For surgical and drug-delivery applications, are six new glass-filled PCs divided into two series with varying levels of reinforcement. The high-performance series includes Makrolon M810 GF, Makrolon M820 GF and Makrolon M830 glass-filled grades. The high-flow series includes Makrolon M410 GF, MakrolonM420 GF and Makrolon M430 glass-filled grades, which are used for filling larger or thinner parts with improved productivity.

Additional advantages of  all the new Makrolon GF PCs reportedly include biocompatibility according to ISO 10993-1 for applications less than 30 days and superior rigidity and strength. They are also said to allow for high-gloss surfaces with rapid heat cycle molding, and they boast higher tensile modulus and tensile strength, and improved dimensional stability under stress when compared to unfilled polycarbonate versions.