MEDICAL DEVICE DISINFECTION—HOW TO PREVENT CRACKING AND CRAZING Understanding polymer performance is key to minimizing disinfectant-related failures DISINFECTANT-RELATED DAMAGE ON POLYMER HOUSINGS Strong chemicals used to reduce hospital- acquired infections can damage equipment and result in material failures, such as: • Stress cracking • Crazing • Discoloration CHEMICAL RESISTANCE REQUIREMENTS VARY BY ENVIRONMENT • Patient/exam rooms • Operating and radiology rooms • Reception areas • Home (patient equipment & devices) Healthcare devices must perform flawlessly in a myriad of challenging environments and engineers must be certain their devices can withstand increasingly potent disinfectants, which have begun to outstrip the performance of traditional polymers. When it comes to material selection and options, you need a strong partner that understands both polymers and the demands of the healthcare environment. An independent lab tested the following polymers with various disinfectants to help customers choose the material suitable to their specific application requirements.

Rigid polymers typically used to make housings for medical devices are failing to resist these chemicals. RESILIENCE™ HC OUTPERFORMS COMPETING POLYMERS Design engineers are increasingly looking more frequently for better chemical resistance properties in rigid device housings to combat the effects of disinfectants. PolyOne conducted a comparative study of polymer resistance to three common, harsh disinfectant chemistries.

S U R G I C A L T O R Q U E W R E N C H SURGICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURER • Excellent wear resistance and lubricity • Easy-to-mold • Good chemical resistance, excellent disinfection performance • Dimensional stability • Formulated a specialty thermoplastic that retained physical properties and dimensional stability under various testing conditions • Provided a custom solution faster than competitors to support accelerated speed to market Edgetek™ Engineered Polymer Formulation KEY REQUIREMENTS WHY AVIENT? https://www.avient.com/products/engineered-polymer-formulations/general-engineered-formulations/edgetek-engineered-polymer-formulations

LEADING OUTDOOR PRODUCTS OEM P R O T E C T I V E P H O N E C A S E • Alternative to traditional PC/ABS for improved toughness and chemical resistance • Substrate must have improved bondability to a protective TPE overmold • Looking for a differentiated “feel” • Offered a proven expertise in selecting the right combination of substrate polymer, TPE for overmolding, and color concentrate for optimal processing and performance • Provided custom solution after collaborating with molders and OEM through on-site trials and troubleshooting support • Enabled the customer to expand their offering for the outdoor consumer market • Custom Nymax™ PA6 Formulation KEY REQUIREMENTS WHY AVIENT? https://www.avient.com/products/engineered-polymer-formulations/general-engineered-formulations/nymax-bergamid-polymer

AIRGUN BULLET MANUFACTURER B U L L E T C A S I N G • Reduce weight by replacing metal • Gunpowder free • Less shooting energy from 100 Joules to 20 Joules • Delivered a high-impact nylon formulation with equal performance and 80% less weight • Enabled improved shooting accuracy due to the stable coefficient of friction(COF) • Provided fast technical response and mold trial support Bergamid™ Polymer Formulation KEY REQUIREMENTS WHY AVIENT? https://www.avient.com/products/engineered-polymer-formulations/general-engineered-formulations/nymax-bergamid-polymer?

Enhancing polymer materials with colorants can: • Differentiate products • Reinforce branding • Evoke emotions • Add value to a commodity item • Promote safety Creative and effective use of polymer colorants, which come in liquid and solid forms, can have an impact all along the value chain. COMPLEMENTARY SOLUTIONS SMART COLORANTS: MAKING THE MOST OF COLOR SOLID COLORANTS LIQUID COLORANTS Available based on many different carrier resins Clean, easy handling + feeding Designed + engineered for compatible polymer matrix More effective for low letdown ratios Highly accurate dispensing Can be processed at lower temperatures COLOR STRATEGY BEST PRACTICES EXPANDING COLORANT OPTIONS Avoid limiting yourself to either solid or liquid forms, and focus on the requirements of the end application instead • Widen your materials and applications possibilities • Achieve the desired effect for each part • Optimize productivity and system costs by matching the right colorant type to the project ADDING SPECIAL EFFECTS Further differentiate and add value to your products • Examples include: metallic, pearlescent, chrome look, edge glow, sparkle/glitter, neon/fluorescent look, woodgrain/stone/camouflage SELECTING + SIZING COLORANT EQUIPMENT Both liquid and solid colorants can be used in the same production facility • Use the right colorant to significantly impact production and offer improvements in terms of efficiency and quality $37.5B projected global colorants market size by 2025** 84.7% of consumers cite colors as the primary reason they buy a particular product* U S D © 2020 Avient, All Rights Reserved To learn more about polymer colorants and how you can improve your current color strategy, visit avientdistribution.com or call +1.844.4AVIENT https://www.avientdistribution.com/

Since these layers are difficult to separate, and the polymers are not compatible, their properties can be negatively influenced during the recycling phase. It works by bringing incompatible polymers – such as PP and PE – together by forming them into a homogenous polymer mixture that increases mechanical properties based on polymer modification. The technology also helps maintain stiffness and mechanical strength close to that of the polymer’s starting point, thereby improving impact strength and ductility.

Formulations typically feature a combination of exothermic and endothermic agents which, when under thermal decomposition, cause gas to evolve forming a cellular structure in the polymer matrix. The carrier system is selected for optimal compatibility with the polymer network and the use of dispersants helps the CFA particles efficiently mix and disperse within the extrusion process. This enables a more continuous distribution of the foaming additive into the polymer matrix, improving uniformity of cell structure and reproducibility of density.

This defines TPE as a thermoplastic polymer material. This makes LSR a thermoset polymer material.   In Handbook of Polymer Applications in Medicine and Medical Devices,¹ Laurence W.

This defines TPE as a thermoplastic polymer material. This makes LSR a thermoset polymer material.   In Handbook of Polymer Applications in Medicine and Medical Devices,¹ Laurence W.