To help handle the increasing number of patients visiting doctors or clinics, healthcare providers have decreased the lead time between sterilization and use in the clinic.

While the color-recovery of typical polycarbonates after radiation-sterilization has historically taken several days, the color recovery process is greatly slowed when devices are packaged in oxygen-free pouches.

“The challenge was to come up with a polycarbonate resin that would meet the high productivity requirements for both manufacturing and sterilization,” said Bruce Fine, Medical Market Segment Leader for North America. “Customers didn’t just need high flow, but also faster color recovery when irradiated in oxygen-free packaging.”

With this in mind, Bayer MaterialScience LLC developed a clear, high-flow Makrolon Rx2440 polycarbonate that 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 often used in applications requiring biocompatibility that meets ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI.

With its combination of rigidity, toughness, high flow and unique and fast color-recovery after irradiation, Makrolon Rx2440 polycarbonate provides a solution for increasingly rapid medical supply chains.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC
www.plastics.bayer.com