BASF to feature antimicrobial technology, high performance thermoplastics for medical devices at MD&M West 2013

FLORHAM PARK, NJ, January 17, 2013 -- BASF will showcase its antimicrobial technology and high performance thermoplastics at the Medical Design and Manufacturing (MD&M) West Show and MedTech Conference, Feb. 11-14, 2013, at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California.

BASF Principal Scientist Matthew Gande will present "Advances in Antimicrobial Plastics Technology" on Monday, Feb. 11, at MedTech Polymers, a full-day session covering timely topics on polymeric innovations and medical applications sponsored by the Society of Plastics Engineers’ (SPE) Medical Division.

Visitors to booth 1574 will have the opportunity to discuss their needs with experienced professionals and learn more about BASF’s product and service portfolio for the demanding medical device market.

Antimicrobial technology
“BASF has developed a broad range of solutions for medical device and equipment surfaces that durably prevent hazardous microbial buildup. Polymers and elastomers featuring our additives support the measures of professional hospital hygiene,” said Stephen Zlock, Business Development Manager, BASF Medical Innovation. “This minimizes the risk that medical devices manufactured from these products will contribute to microbe propagation.”

HyGentic^®antimicrobial technology prevents bacterial growth on surfaces.  It is a series of novel silver-based antimicrobials that provides broad spectrum protection against bacterial colonization on a variety of polymeric surfaces. The HyGentic product line includes:

• HyGentic SBC,  a transparent injection-moldable styrene butadiene block copolymer granulate material that contains antimicrobial silver ions;
• HyGentic PA, an antimicrobial glass-fiber-reinforced, injection-moldable polyamide granulate that is exceptionally well suited to the production of operating elements for medical devices; and,
• HyGentic NW, synthetic non-woven technology with built-in antimicrobial activity that is ideal for medical applications such as surgical masks, drapes, gowns and surgical kit wraps. 

BASF’s medical devices team at the research and development center in Tarrytown, New York, has the expertise, instruments, equipment and lab facilities to produce customized, application-focused formulations. The team tests these formulations for antimicrobial effectiveness and incorporates them into a variety of materials that are adjusted for use on the equipment available.

High Performance Plastics for medical devices
“BASF is committed to providing plastics to healthcare designers that deliver the performance they require, including Ultrason^® and Ultraform^® PRO,” said Vinny Sirani, Business Manager, High Performance Plastics.

Ultrason^®PSU, PESU and PPSU high performance plastics allow for repeated sterilization with superheated steam, and offer transparency, superior chemical resistance, ease of coloration, dimensional stability, mechanical strength and high resistance to hydrolysis. Typical applications include orthopedic, dental and surgical instrumentation, sterilization components, technical devices for the healthcare industry and filter membranes for applications such as water purification, biomedical processes, and waste treatment.

Ultraform^® PRO grades are semicrystalline materials that can withstand high mechanical stress and is ideal for functional parts, such as springs, transmission and connecting elements. Good hydrolysis resistance and dimensional stability at elevated temperatures ensures that components made of Ultraform can be sterilized with hot steam. Since products made of Ultraform differentiate themselves by their smooth and hard surfaces, it is possible to manufacture functional parts that have low frictional resistance.

“In addition, we also offer Ultradur^® B4520 PRO, BASF’s first PBT for injection-molded medical applications. Ultradur B4520 PRO improves the high dimensional stability of PBT by adding optimized shrinkage behavior thus meeting the stricter requirements for reproducible dimensional accuracy made on components intended for medical devices. This material can be easily printed on and sterilized with ionizing gamma radiation or ethylene oxide,” Sirani said.

Comprehensive service package for medical technology
Along with its plastics from the PRO family, BASF offers a comprehensive service package that has been adapted specifically to the requirements of medical technology. This package entails the explicit commitment that no changes will be made in the plastic formulation stored in the Drug Master File (DMF) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All product grades in the PRO portfolio have been shown to comply with the applicable international standards and tests for medical technology uses of plastics such as the EU, U.S. and Japanese Pharmacopeias and DIN EN ISO 10993-5. Such tests are performed (on pellets) by independent third-party institutes.

BASF – The Chemical Company
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20 billion in 2011. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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