Foster Polymer Distribution (Putnam, Connecticut / USA; www.fosterpolymers.com), a business unit of Foster Corporation (Putnam; www.fostercomp.com), has started distributing Mitsui Chemicals’ (Tokyo / Japan; www.mitsuichem.com) “TPX” polymethylpentene (PMP) olefin copolymer in North America. Thanks to its low surface tension and high heat resistance – its melting point range lies between 220°C and 240°C – “TPX” is particularly suitable for mandrels used in manufacturing precision medical tubing as well as in release films for shipping and handling applications.

The PMP has a surface tension that is 28% lower than that of HDPE, which is commonly used as a mandrel material for catheter manufacturing, and also has a specific gravity of 0.83 – 13% less than HDPE. The halogen-free, transparent copolymer has non-stick properties approaching those of PTFE, but is easy to process. The grades now available to the North American medical market are both injection moulding and extrusion, Foster Polymer Distribution said.