Medical grade plastics have unique characteristics that make them the ideal material for the medical devices, tools and equipment that doctors, nurses and surgeons use on a daily basis. With high wear, temperature and corrosion resistance, these materials can withstand constant use and repeated sterilizations without breaking down or posing a danger to patients. Medical grade plastics can be found in everything from hospital beds and surgical tubing to MRI machines and medical implants.
Medical grade plastics’ unique beneficial properties include:
The biocompatibility of medical grade plastics is broken down into three categories: non-contact, short-term contact, and long-term contact. Non-contact items would be things such as syringes, glucose bag drips and blood storage bags, and this is where plastics such as polyethylene, polyamide and polystyrene are used. The short-term contact category covers catheters, feeding and drainage tubes, and surgical instruments. PEEK, Teflon®, polyethylene and polypropylene are common choices for short-term contact medical devices. Lastly, long-term contact is where we find insulin pumps, bone and joint replacement, and medical implants. Top medical grade plastics for long-term contact include polyethylene, UHMW, polysulfone and hydrogels.
At Reading Plastic, our expert staff can machine precision parts and tools from a wide variety of medical grade plastics, including:
We excel at tight tolerances, are ISO 9001:2015 certified and can meet all FDA standards. Our clients also benefit from our decades of plastic experience, as we know firsthand how these plastics behave and can recommend the right medical grade plastic for your application. Whether you need to improve performance, reduce weight, or lower costs, we can help you meet your goals.
Have a project in mind? Call us today at (610) 926-3245 or email us at site2@readingplastic.com.
