Bristol, Pa.-based Altuglas International, a subsidiary of Arkema Group, has introduced the Altuglas Luctor polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) alloy, purported to flow twice far as conventional transparent medical polymers in thin wall injection mold cavities. According to the company, this new PMMA alloy will allow for thinner wall sections in products such as intravenous line components. Altuglas Luctor PMMA is free of bisphenol A.

“Altuglas Luctor PMMA alloy was primarily designed to improve product and processing costs for PMMA components,” said Kirsten Makel, Altuglas International’s North American resins business director. “However, the [isopropanol alcohol] resistance of this alloy makes it more than a high-flow acrylic.”

The Altuglas Luctor PMMA alloy is a chemical resistant, transparent polymer that offers a step-wise improvement in flow over traditional transparent polymers, such as PMMA and polycarbonate, the company claims. The alloy flows 33 inches (838 mm) in injection mold cavities with dimensions of 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) thick and 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) wide, more than double that of traditional chemical resistant acrylic and polycarbonate.

The chemical resistance properties of the Altuglas Luctor PMMA alloy allow it to replace polycarbonates in intravenous line components such as luers. Like traditional PMMA, this new alloy is resistant to fats or lipids and plasticizers used in other polymer components, such as polyvinyl chloride tubing. Similar to polycarbonate, the alloy also is resistant to isopropyl alcohol, which is used extensively for cleaning medical devices.

Altuglas is the manufacturer of Plexiglas in the United States. The company focuses on PMMA technology and has four major brands.