Danish medical polymers specialist Melitek (Nørre Alslev / Denmark; www.melitek.com) and the medical and pharmaceuticals masterbatches segment of Swiss specialty chemicals producer Clariant (Muttenz; www.clariant.com) are to cooperate on the marketing of materials for the modification of polymers produced for medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. The collaboration will cover modification by colour, additives or blends and alloys, either as concentrates or compounds.

Steve Duckworth, head of Clariant's global medical and pharmaceuticals business, said, “In some situations the producers of the plastic components for medical devices demand both compounds and masterbatches. This can be based on many factors such as batch sizes, process machinery capability and part design.”

Through the agreement, Clariant will have access to “Meliflex”-branded materials to sell compounds for medical applications through its network, and Melitek will have access to Clariant’s “Mevopur” masterbatches for use in Meliflex compounds or for supply directly to its customers. This allows customers to have a single supplier and point of contact while maintaining traceability. Thermoplastic elastomers are excluded from the agreement.

Meanwhile, Melitek will display its “Meliflex-XT” range at “Medtec Europe” (www.medteceurope.com), to be held in Stuttgart / Germany from 26 to 28 February 2013 (also see Plasteurope.com of 22.01.2013). The olefin-based elastomers have been developed for the fabrication of PVC- and DEHP-free medical products and exhibit the properties of soft PVC without the use of plasticisers. Applications include drug delivery systems, catheters and blood transfusion as well as dialysis products. The material displays low absorption and migration rates and high performance in peristaltic pump applications, the company said. “Meliflex-XT” is available with hardness from Shore 55A to 95A and in a range of flexibility. It has 25% to 30% lower density than soft PVC, resulting in less material consumption and waste.