Medical Plastic Clariant Expands Capacities for Medical Plastic Compounds

Clariant will expand its plant in Lewiston and install a new compounding line for pre-colored medical plastic compounds that are supplied under the Mevopur brand name.

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Clariant International AG

Muttenz/Switzerland — The new compounding line, built around a new 70-mm extruder, will be able produce larger batch sizes (e.g.: 3,000 to 6,000 kg /6000 to 12,000 lbs or larger) at high throughput rates. Production will focus on materials such as polyolefins, ABS, PC and PC alloys as well as specialty resins like TPU, and cyclic olefins. The EN-ISO13485 (2012) certified site in Lewiston is also being expanded to improve process-flow and material-handling. The new capacity will come on-line in Q4 2017.

Mevopour materials are suitable for applications in medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging, where strict regulations on materials and change control apply, the manufacturer claims. The Lewiston plant is one of three global sites designed and operated to produce materials used in medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. The other two facilities are located in Malmö, Sweden, and Singapore.

This new capacity complements equipment and plant investments aimed at compounding engineering resins and high-temperature polymers and, most recently, completion of a special installation in Lewiston for processing fluoropolymers such as FEP, ETFE, and PVDF.

The company already operates several smaller lines — in Lewiston and Clariant’s other Mevopur facilities -- which produce masterbatches and pre-colored compounds in lot sizes ranging from 25 to 2,500 kg/50 to 5,000 lbs. In addition, production capacity for compounds is also being added during the first half of 2017 in Singapore.

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