Celanese Introduces Medical Grades of Tribological Polymer

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE), a global technology and specialty materials company, today announced the introduction of Hostaform® MT® SlideX™ POM, a family of tribologically modified, medically compliant engineered materials.

These new thermoplastic polymers enable the production of medical devices with a very low coefficient of friction and wear, low noise (squeaking) and eliminate the need for external lubrication. Medical devices manufactured with these new materials operate smoothly with a high degree of patient comfort and consistency from the very first use.

Hostaform® MT® SlideX™ POM is a competitive alternative to various kinds of high-performance, tribologically modified compounds. When compared to alternative materials, Hostaform® MT® SlideX™ POM offers a significantly lower coefficient of friction in medical devices combined with the Celanese medical technology (MT®) service package. This results in the potential to reduce costs by removing design constraints and simplifying material combinations in complex devices while avoiding external lubrication in manufacturing processes.

The MT® service package addresses quality, change control and regulatory compliance in accordance with pharmaceutical and medical industry expectations, based on Celanese’s extensive experience with material supply to the medical market.

The advantages to the patient as a result of medical device manufacturers using Celanese’s tribologically modified Hostaform® MT® SlideX™ POM include:

• reduction in force required to activate the medical device,
• no squeaking noise when operating the medical device, and
• increased comfort during use due to easy sliding properties.

“The use of medically compliant polymers from Celanese is helping the medical industry to design and manufacture medical devices which can significantly increase patient comfort by reducing friction and noise,” said Andrew Brown, director of Celanese’s global medical industry platform. “These new materials can improve design and processing capability and increase performance levels of key medical components. The introduction of these new low-tribological polymer grades from Celanese underscores our commitment to medical industry innovation which benefits patients who seek greater comfort and ease of use in their medical devices.”

With a high mechanical performance profile combined with the Celanese MT® service package, Hostaform® MT® SlideX™ POM is well-suited for medical applications such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and asthma inhalers, injection devices such as insulin pens, surgical instruments and portable diagnostic medical devices, where low friction, wear and medical compliance are important requirements.

About Celanese Hostaform® / Celcon POM

Celanese’s Hostaform® / Celcon® POM materials deliver outstanding wear, long-term fatigue and creep resistance from -40°C to 100°C and exhibit excellent toughness and rigidity, along with moisture, solvent and alkali resistance.

For more information, reference the Celanese Hostaform® / Celcon® POM website.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. With sales almost equally divided between North America, Europe and Asia, the company uses the full breadth of its global chemistry, technology and business expertise to create value for customers and the corporation. Celanese partners with customers to solve their most critical needs while making a positive impact on its communities and the world. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,400 employees worldwide and had 2013 net sales of $6.5 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.

All registered trademarks are owned by Celanese International Corporation or its affiliates.

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Editor’s Note:

Tribological interactions: The tribological interactions of a solid surface's exposed face with interfacing materials and the environment may result in loss of material from the surface. The process leading to loss of material is known as "wear." Major types of wear include abrasion, adhesion, surface fatigue and tribochemical reaction (i.e., corrosion). Wear can be minimized by modifying the surface properties of solids by one or more of "surface engineering" processes (also called surface finishing) or by use of internal and external lubricants.