Solvay : and Apollo Medical see growing interest in Veradel® HC A-301 PESU’s potential as a...

Alpharetta, Ga., Dec. 6, 2017 --- Solvay, a leading global supplier of specialty polymers, announced today that Apollo Medical Extrusion now offers single- and multi-lumen medical microtubing extruded from Solvay's medical-grade Veradel® HC A-301 NT polyethersulfone (PESU).

Apollo fabricates a broad range of microtubes for catheter, endoscopy and laparoscopic instruments. With the addition of Veradel® HC A-301 PESU to its portfolio, the extruder significantly expands design options for microtube applications that demand a combination of rigidity, transparency and sterilization.

'We typically present the polymers in our portfolio as solutions, but we're introducing Veradel® PESU to them as an idea generator,' said Jonathan Jurgaitis, senior process engineer at Apollo Medical Extrusion. 'It's stronger than polycarbonate, more transparent than PEI and it enables multi-lumen microtube configurations that stainless steel cannot achieve.'

One Apollo customer, Jurgaitis added, had been cutting stainless steel tubes and welding them together again to fabricate a component that Apollo was able extrude from Veradel® HC A-301 PESU in one step, saving the customer significant production time and expense.

'While PESU is not intended to replace stainless steel in structural components, it introduces more flexible design options in applications where specifying stainless steel might over-engineer the part,' said Jeff Hrivnak, business manager for Healthcare at Solvay's Specialty Polymers global business unit. 'The material's high flow rate is well-suited for extruding thin-walled microtubes with complex geometries, and it offers the highest stiffness of all of Solvay's sulfone polymers. This helps explain why Solvay is seeing increasing interest in Veradel® HC A-301 PESU's potential for enabling game-changing new medical device designs.'

Solvay's medical-grade PESU polymer has been tested under ISO 10993 biocompatibility standards for cytotoxicity, irritation and acute systemic toxicity, and it is compatible with steam sterilization and chemical sterilants. The company also provides a detailed FDA Master Access File (MAF) for the new material, along with additional regulatory support to help streamline customers' time-to-market.

Solvay's experience as a reliable materials supplier in the healthcare field spans more than 25 years. The company is a leading manufacturer of polymers for healthcare applications, offering a broad range of high-performance plastics for medical devices, surgical instruments and medical equipment. Solvay also offers a family of Solviva® Biomaterials for use in a range of implantable device applications. Solvay's Veradel® family of PESU polymers has a long and proven history in food service, membrane filtration and automotive applications.

® Veradel and Solviva are registered trademarks of Solvay.

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