Medical applications environmental stress cracking

The launch of new resins being rare, progress on materials intended for medical applications is by way of formulation, alloys and modifications of existing resins. Thus, new radiation-stable polypropylene grades are available for the manufacture of cups, boxes, baskets, mixers, etc. that are radiation sterilized. And polyesters with better environmental stress cracking resistance are extending their potenti in the area of medical testing. 

Pipe and Tubing. Extrusion of pipe and tubing accoimts for a very small fraction of LLDPE consumption. LLDPE offers higher burst strength, environmental stress crack resistance, and higher heat-distortion temperature than LDPE. Plastomer grades have been used to replace plasticized polyvinyl chloride in medical tubing applications (129). 

The problem of environmental stress cracking can be an important one for many applications in the medical industry. These include medical laboratory equipment, caps, closures, and implant components. 

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