SABIC Launches New Resin To Reinforce Strong Portfolio of Thermoplastics for Healthcare

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) will be at Pharmapack Europe (Paris, February 15-16), the annual European Healthcare event, with a wide range of polyolefins and engineering thermoplastics developed specifically for the global healthcare industry. The company plans to reinforce its position as a "one-stop shop" for high quality-thermoplastics, with a growing portfolio compliant with the strict regulations of this industry.

In target applications such as drug delivery device internal components and external housings, typical industry requirements range across biocompatibility, sterilizability, chemical resistance, impact resistance, wear resistance and anti-static properties, through ease of processing and aesthetics, to constancy in product formulations. SABIC has numerous options to meet these challenges, including grades based on ABS, polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyesters (PET and PBT), polyphenylene oxide and siloxanes, as well as high and low density polyethylenes and polypropylene. The company has cost-effective solutions for syringes, injection pens, inhalers and other related products.

To emphasize this point, SABIC is using Pharmapack as a launchpad for new grades, including a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin featuring high flow properties that can significantly reduce injection moulding cycle times for various healthcare products. With a melt flow rate of 30 g/10 min, SABIC^® HDPE PCG300054 provides important processing advantages that yield lower system costs for healthcare product manufacturers.

SABIC^® HDPE PCG300054 resin is typically suitable for injection moulding thin-wall, long flow parts such as disposable syringe pistons, as well as caps and closures for medical and pharmaceutical packaging. High flow facilitates complete mould filling and enables the use of thin-wall geometries that cool rapidly for cycle time reduction. This translucent resin balances stiffness with good levels of environmental stress cracking resistance to ensure durability under a variety of use conditions.

SABIC’s broad product offering of more than 50 high performance materials is backed up with the security of a strong logistical network and ample material supplies to ensure continuous, global availability.

In addition, the company has developed a comprehensive healthcare product policy designed to help OEMs achieve regulatory compliance. The policy aims at ensuring high consistency and biocompatibility of SABIC healthcare grades. Specifically, SABIC’s healthcare product policy provides device manufacturers with:

• Compliance with EP 3.1.5 and USP Class VI;
• Compliance with 21 CFR par. 177.1520 of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA);
• Drug Master File listing;
• Healthcare product nomenclature for easy identification;
• Products subject to formula lock and change management process.

“Our leadership in healthcare materials can benefit customers who are seeking new ways to accelerate processing while maintaining high performance and quality,” says Philippe Rasquin, Technical Marketing Engineer at SABIC.