Ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene UHMWPE plastics

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is an engineering plastic which has a wide spectrum of applications, particularly as a material for orthopedic prostheses due to its high strength, high resistance to chemicals and physical abrasion, high wear... 

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is really a variety of HDPE with a molecular weight greater than 3 x 106. UHMWPE is a strong and lightweight plastic used in the fibre industry and for specialized applications such as its use in medicine for the manufacture of artificial hips. 

Dupont. Technical guide - kevlar aramid fiber, available http //www2dupontcom/Kevlar/ en US/assets/downloads/KEVLAR Technical Guidepdf [accessed September 2012]. Stein HL. Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylenes (UHMWPE). In Dostal C, editor. Engineered materials handbook, vol. 2, Engineering plastics. Ohio ASM International 1998. p. 167-71. 

An abbreviated list of medical applications for commodity polymers (Table 13.6) is an indication of the wide scope of both materials and their uses. Since many of these uses require small volumes of premium materials, it is often feasible to supplement commodity plastics by developing specialty polymers that would not otherwise be justified on an economic basis. In the examples that follow, one encounters both commodity polymers such as ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), and specialty polymers such as the polyanhydrides and poly(glycolic acid). 

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