Medical Grade Acrylic Alloy Reduces Processing Costs

Altuglas International, a subsidiary of Arkema group introduces Altuglas Luctor polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) alloy that flows twice far as conventional transparent medical polymers in thin wall injection mold cavities. With this new material, devices such as intravenous (IV) line components can be molded with thinner wall sections, using multi-cavity molds to reduce material and processing costs. Altuglas Luctor PMMA is free of bisphenol A (BPA).

“Altuglas Luctor PMMA alloy was primarily designed to improve product and processing costs for PMMA components,” says Kirsten MAKEL, Altuglas International’s North American Resins Business Director. “However, the IPA resistance of this alloy makes it more than a high-flow acrylic.”

Healthcare cost management initiatives and competition among device companies are placing greater demand on medical component manufacturers to reduce costs. Material costs can be reduced by designing components with thinner wall sections. Processing costs can be reduced by decreasing sprue and runner sizes and increasing the number of cavities in multi-cavity molds. These savings can only be achieved with materials that offer substantial improvements in melt flow. Altuglas Luctor PMMA alloy is a chemical resistant, transparent polymer that offers a step-wise improvement in flow over traditional transparent polymers, such as PMMA and polycarbonate. This new PMMA alloy flows 33" (838mm) in injection mold cavities with dimensions of 0.1" (2.5mm) thick and 0.5" (12.7mm) wide, more than double that of traditional chemical resistant acrylic and polycarbonate.

The superior chemical resistance properties of Altuglas Luctor PMMA alloy allow it to replace polycarbonates in IV line components, such as luers. Like traditional PMMA, this new alloy is resistant to fats (also known as lipids) and plasticizers used in other polymer components, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing. Similar to polycarbonate, the alloy is resistant to isopropyl alcohol (IPA) which is used extensively for cleaning medical devices.