MUTTENZ, SWITZERLAND: Clariant is showcasing its new MEVOPUR polymer materials formulated to improve laser-welding performance at the medical design and manufacturing tradeshow - MD&M West 2019 taking place 5 to 7 February in Anaheim, CA. The company is exhibiting medical devices and components made of new MEVOPUR polymer materials.
"Laser welding is increasingly preferred in production of medical devices because it provides speed, and reliability, can handle complex structures and avoids some of the downsides of other methods, such as solvent residues," explained Eric Rohr, medical & pharmaceutical segment manager, North America. "However, because medical devices are frequently made of transparent or translucent materials, the polymer’s ability to absorb the laser energy often needs to be enhanced using additives.”
Welding presents additional challenges because laser marking involves only one polymer, while laser welding involves two - one that is transparent to the laser energy and the other absorbing energy to create the weld. The process is further complicated by any pigments or fillers, which can change the way the plastic reacts to the laser.
MEVOPUR-brand products and services help medical device and pharmaceutical packaging producers minimize risk at every stage of design, production and approval.
Another important factor in achieving a good weld is the even distribution of the additive throughout the polymer matrix of the final part. In some cases, a concentrate or masterbatch can be dosed at the injection-molding machine, which than mixes it sufficiently into the polymer melt before molding. Injection-molding machines, however, are not always ideal for dispersing the concentrate into the host polymer. In some applications, the machine, the material or the part design may cause inconsistent distribution and lead to unreliable welding.
Clariant solves this by also offering compounds where the job of distribution of the laser-absorbing additive, along with any other pigments or additives, is performed on highly efficient compounding lines. The injection molder then can use this all-in-one material without further dilution.
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