08
February
2018
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00:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Material partner of the medical equipment industry

Summary
Merz Pharma uses Covestro polycarbonate for its Cellfina® system
Chemical resistance and flame retardancy are key factors in material selection for medical equipment housings. Covestro offers a range of medical-grade materials that help today’s medical device manufacturers meet physical, chemical and environmental requirements.

Makroblend® M4000 FR PC+PBT blend offers flame retardancy of V-0 at a thickness of 2 millimeters in the UL94 safety of flammability standard of Underwriters Laboratories, and 5VA at a thickness of 3 millimeters, and has superior chemical resistance.

Special requirements
The material is appropriate for skin contact applications and is biocompatible according to ISO 10993-5 (Cytotoxicity) and ISO10993-10 (Irritation and Sensitization). Other advantages include high toughness, reduced susceptibility to stress cracking, good flowability and high tensile modulus.

Due to these outstanding properties, Merz Pharma (http://www.merz.com), a global aesthetics and neurotoxin company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, selected Makroblend® M4000 FR PC+PBT blend from Covestro for the housing of the motor module of its Cellfina® System. It is the only FDA-cleared, minimally invasive procedure shown to improve the appearance of cellulite for up to three years.

“We worked closely with Merz to select high-quality, proven materials for the system by providing chemical data, test plaques and custom color matching,” explains Richard Aldrich, business development manager – Southwest region, Polycarbonates, Covestro LLC. “The motor module is disinfected between uses with aggressive disinfectant wipes and needed the superior chemical resistance provided by the polycarbonate blend. This combined with the flame retardance of the material made it a superior choice for the product.”

Polycarbonate with good processing properties
The Cellfina® System also features Makrolon® 2458 polycarbonate in the sterilized disposable parts used with the system. This polycarbonate is ideal for medical devices as it is biocompatible according to many ISO 10993-1 test requirements. The lightweight material has easy-release properties and low viscosity for ease of processing.

Both Makroblend® M4000 FR PC+PBT blend and Makrolon® 2458 polycarbonate are durable enough to protect the device’s electronic components, yet are still aesthetically pleasing.

“Our role showcases commitment from Covestro to provide innovative solutions and technical support that meet the rigorous needs of the medical device industry,” says Lauren Zetts, North America market manager, Medical and Consumer Products – Polycarbonates, Covestro LLC.

Attendees at MD&M West Conference and Exposition (http://mdmwest.mddionline.com), Feb. 6-8, in Anaheim, California, can visit the company’s booth (#2221) for more details about medical applications and materials from Covestro.

About Covestro:
With 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 15,600 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2016.

Find more information at www.covestro.com.
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CovestroGroup

Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.