Clariant is marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of the MEVOPUR ‘medical-grade’ materials portfolio with the introduction of a theme: The Color of Innovation - The Science of Design.

The new branding, which is being launched globally in conjunction with the 10th anniversary, is aimed at capturing the unique nature of the MEVOPUR family of products and services, encompassing compounds and concentrates, medical and pharma regulatory support, and support with change control embedded in the GMP quality system. It is the focus of Clariant’s exhibit in booth 2351 at MD&M West 2020. The medical design and manufacturing tradeshow is taking place February 11 - 13, in Anaheim, CA.

“Even after 10 years, no other company in the plastics industry has anything like MEVOPUR,” says Steve Duckworth, Global Head of Marketing & Business Development. “We apply multi-industry problem-solving expertise grounded in deep technical and regulatory knowledge to help ensure the safety, compliance and performance of our customers’ products throughout the manufacturing process and beyond—so they can get to market on time and on budget.”

Since 2010, a dedicated team of Clariant healthcare polymer solution experts has been building a deep technical and regulatory understanding in order to help medical device and pharmaceutical companies deliver products that look great, perform at the highest levels and readily meet compliance requirements. All MEVOPUR materials – including color and additive concentrates and ‘ready-to-use’ polymer compounds – are produced in three dedicated EN:ISO13485-2016 registered facilities and have been pre-tested to support compliance needs of customers in US and Europe. In just the last few years, Clariant has invested heavily to boost compounding capacity at its plant in Lewiston, Maine (USA), and will soon announce expansions in Asia as well.

New Products
At MD&M West, Clariant will feature a new line of polymer compounds specially formulated to resist degradation caused by exposure to high humidity and temperature. The new technology is especially important in applications like catheters that are made of resins that incorporate high loadings of radiopaque metals.

These fillers make devices visible under X-ray fluoroscopy, but they also are known to exacerbate hydrolytic degradation, which can affect critical performance properties and compromise patient safety.

Also on display will be another new range of MEVOPUR compounds demonstrating Clariant’s capability to modify a given resin family to bring enhanced functionality. Compounds of opaque and transparent ABS have been formulated with antistatic properties, high contrast laser-marking; optically transparent laser-absorbing and -transmitting compounds for laser-welding, and gloss black with improved scratch resistance. “In the medical device and pharmaceutical packaging segments, it is not enough to create an attractive-looking product,” Steve Duckworth concludes. “Your product must meet all the rapidly changing regulatory requirements, while performing reliably over time. Applying Quality by Design (QbD) principles, we believe that every decision you make on plastic materials in the early development stages represents an opportunity to meet these challenges and avoid problems later in the validation or life-cycle.”