Medical-Grade Nylon 6, Nylon 6/66, and PET

Four new medical-grade engineering materials have been added to the Medical Care portfolio from DSM Engineering Materials designed to support global medical device manufacturers improve the quality of care for patients. (DSM Engineering Materials will be showcasing these new innovations for the medical device industry at the MD&M West Show, April 12-14, 2022.) The materials have been tested to meet or exceed important global standards such as U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) food contact compliance, ISO-10993, and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Class VI standards.

The Care portfolio expansion of new medical grades was developed by DSM to address growing customer demand for advanced material solutions, leveraging many years of successful application development for the medical industry, and taking advantage of the company’s robust global manufacturing capabilities. Included are:

 ▪  Akulon Care PA6 is an unfilled nylon 6 for injection molding and K1G6 is a 30% glass-reinforced nylon 6 for injection molding. These two are now part of what is said to be the widest portfolio of nylon 6 grades with optimal processing in injection molding and extrusion. These grades boast clean polymerization technology ensuring low VOC levels. Applications include catheters, IV fluid bags, insulin pens and autoinjectors, surgical robotics and advanced wound care.

 ▪  Novamid Care N30 PA6/66 is an unfilled nylon 6/66 copolymer for film extrusion. It boasts excellent barrier properties (O2/CO2) and is said to be optimized for film applications such as IV fluid bags and medical packaging.

 ▪  Arnite Care A1U is an unfilled PET for injection molding. It is said to be the highest purity medical grade PET featuring low water absorption, excellent wear properties and color stability as well as low extractables/leachables, and high dimensional stability. Applications include catheters, insulin pens and autoinjectors, and surgical robots.