Performance plastics are facilitating a new frontier of more types of outpatient treatments, less invasive procedures and longer lasting materials. From surgical instrument handles to diagnostic systems, high-performance polymers deliver unmatched purity, sterilisation resistance, and antimicrobial capability that conventional materials simply cannot match.
Applications
- Surgical instrument handles / grips
- Dental instrument handles / grips
- Orthopedic implants
- Pacemaker leads
- Endoscopic housing / eyepieces
- Sterilization trays / caddies
- X-ray and MRI parts
- Dialysis machine housings
- Respiratory units
- Pharmaceutical production / packaging
- Fluid distribution-valve housings / nozzles
- IV and infusion devices
- Diagnostic systems
- Feeding tubes
- Catheters
Advantages May Include
- Low manufacturing costs
- Low friction and wear
- Lightweight
- Resistant to high temperature, impact, chemicals
- Color coding options
- Easy to create ergonomic designs
- Maintains physical properties under thermal, chemical or electrical stress
- Good strength, toughness and hardness
- Can handle repeated sterilization
- Antimicrobial options
- Excellent wear properties
- Low-friction performance
- High purity
- Meets health regulations
- Meets precise dimensions
- Abrasion and shatter resistant
- Excellent thermal and oxidative stability
Materials
- Acetal Copolymer (POM)
- Silicone (SI)
- Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC)
- Styrene Acrylonitrile Copolymer (SAN)
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA)
- Styrene Maleic Anhydride-Polycarbonate (SMA-PC)
- Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP)
- Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Thermoplastic Polyester (PBT)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Thermoset Composite (Phenolics)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW-PE)
- Polyetherimide (PEI)
- Polymethyl Pentene (PMP)
- Polyphenylene Oxide (PPO)
- Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS)
- Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polysulfone (PSU)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- PVC / Acrylic Alloy Sheet
Sustainability Advantages of Performance Plastics
150M+
An infrared thermometer made from performance plastics could reduce more than 150,000,000 plastic caps in hospital waste every year.
Source: henleymed.com
40%
A 330 ml plastic pill bottle contains ~18 g of plastic while a comparable glass bottle weighs 190–250 g. Transporting heavier glass containers requires up to 40% more energy and can increase transport costs by up to 5× per bottle.
Source: hprc.org
Upcycled PBT — a material used in the healthcare industry — delivers significant environmental gains over virgin PBT:
29%
Reduced Global
Warming Impact
Warming Impact
43%
Less Cumulative
Energy Demand
Energy Demand
15%
Less Water
Consumed
Consumed
Source: ondrugdelivery.com
This upcycling process converts commodity plastic waste into virgin-quality engineering resin at reduced CO₂ emission levels compared with the production of virgin resin.
Source: ondrugdelivery.com
1/7
Performance plastics are 1/7 the weight of some metals. Making medical instruments out of plastic minimises weight, enhancing comfort for practitioners and reducing fatigue during surgeries.
Source: medicalplasticsnews.com
Net-Zero
Compared with metals, plastic medical instruments can help achieve net-zero CO₂ equivalent annual emissions relative to a hospital using conventional metal instruments. Injection moulding creates minimal scrap and requires lower heating temperatures.
Source: medicalplasticsnews.com
iapd
the performance plastics association
Sustainability
Champions
Champions