New Bayer MaterialScience Polycarbonate Blend Packs a Protective Punch

Anaheim, CA, February 13, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Hospitals are places of healing – where sick or injured people come for medical or surgical care. Unfortunately, due to an increasing risk for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), they are also a place where patients can become ill. To help reduce the occurrence of HAIs, hospital staff are using more aggressive disinfectants to wipe down hospital room surfaces and equipment. With this in mind, Bayer MaterialScience LLC is introducing a new polycarbonate blend grade that offers a high level of chemical resistance against many of the most aggressive disinfectants. Using a material with high chemical resistance can help reduce the prevalence of HAIs, thereby improving patient safety and helping provide a solution to one of today’s healthcare challenges. Reducing the prevalence of HAIs also extends the life of medical devices exposed to these powerful disinfectants.

Dr. Pierre Moulinie, a scientist with Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s Industrial Marketing group, explains that medical equipment housings or enclosures that were chemically resistant to typical disinfectants used in the past might not be resistant to the new disinfectants used today. “Because of this, medical equipment manufacturers were finding evidence of stress failures and unappealing surface changes,” he continued. “An advanced material, like Bayer’s new grade of polycarbonate blend, helps mitigate these problems.”

In addition to its superior chemical resistance, Makroblend® EL4000 polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate (PC+PBT) blend resin offers a variety of other desirable properties, such as flame retardance – V-0/5VA rating at 3.0 mm, high toughness, reduced susceptibility to stress cracking, good flowability and high tensile modulus. Makroblend EL4000 PC+PBT blend is well suited for molding medical device and equipment housings and enclosures, as it helps protect their electronics and electromechanical components in clinical settings.

“Bayer MaterialScience offers manufacturers a variety of polycarbonate blends suited to varying strengths of disinfectants. The addition of Makroblend EL4000 to Bayer’s product portfolio marks the highest level of protection against powerful disinfectants,” says Bruce Fine, market segment leader – medical, N. America, Bayer MaterialScience LLC.

Attendees at MD&M West Conference and Exposition, Feb. 10-13, in Anaheim, Calif., can visit Bayer’s booth (#2021) for more details about Makroblend EL4000 PC+PBT and other Bayer material solutions for medical applications.

About Bayer MaterialScience LLC:
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,500 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2012 sales of 11.5 billion euros. The company manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, social responsibility and respect for the environment.