Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations waross on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Autoclavable Plastics

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jen123

Civil/Environmental
Oct 8, 2012
2
US
Hello,
I am looking for autoclavable plastics for a water process application. The specific requriements for this material will be:
(1)cost effective
(2)can be autoclaved repeatedly at 121°C/15 psi
(3)biologically compatible
(4)easy to machine and easy to seal with gaskets.
(5)working environment will be groundwater with neutral pH, temperature will be 0-35 degree C.

With preliminary research, I found the following materials which are autoclavable:
Polypropylene (PP), polypropylene copolymer (PPCO), polymethylpentene (PMP), Tefzel® ETFE, and FEP and PFA.

Any suggestions for choosing the right materials from the above list based on the requriements I mentioned? I am not good at materials and any input will be greatly appreciated .

Thanks,
Jen
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

PP will probably warp at 121 deg C

TPX (poly methyl pentene) will do the job but is expensive and in short supply last I heard. The source is Mitsui.

The injection mouldable fluorocarbons should be OK but expensive.

Have you looked at PPO. It is used extensively in hot water meters, but I don't have actual data here. The most common name is Noryl.

Ultem and polysulphone might also be possibilities.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &
for site rules
 
Hello Pat,

Thank you very much for your input. Noryl seems a strong candidate for its low cost as an autoclabable and biocompatible material. Ultem and polysulphone look good too. Thanks again and I really appreciate.

Best,
Jen
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top