Industrial Automation Magazine India

Certified safety: new biocompatible igus ball bearing material for medical technology

Published on : Wednesday 22-02-2023

xirodur MT180 complies with the worlds most stringent safety standards and reduces certification costs for medical technology products.

February 2023 – igus, the motion plastics specialist, is expanding its range of high-performance plastics for medical technology. New to the product range: xirodur MT180, a material for light, hygienic, lubrication-free xiros deep groove ball bearings - certified according to the strictest standards, such as USP Class VI and DIN EN ISO 10993. The materials certified biocompatibility puts manufacturers of medical technology, such as bio-reactors, on the safe side and saves time and money for product approval.

In medical and pharmaceutical technology too, machine and plant engineers are increasingly replacing metal components such as deep groove ball bearings with counterparts made of high-performance plastic. The advantage is that igus xiros-series ball bearings operate without lubrication and are maintenance-free while remaining low-friction and hygienic. A common difficulty is that not all plastics are suitable for all medical-technology applications. So far, manufacturers have often had to plan time and costs for new assembly certification. We invest lots of energy in research and development. That way, we bring materials to the market that are certified according to the strictest standards in the world - materials that medical-technology manufacturers can use without hesitation, says Marcus Semsroth, Head of Business Unit xiros Polymer Ball Bearings at igus. One of our latest developments is xirodur MT180, a biocompatible material from which light, hygienic, non-magnetic xiros deep groove ball bearings can be manufactured.

The new ball bearings made of xirodur MT180 are suitable for such applications as bio-reactors, which cultivate microorganisms in a nutrient medium. These reactors played a crucial role in producing RNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ball bearings can be used, e.g. in the agitator. They are classified according to USP 88 Class VI. USP stands for United States Pharmacopeia, a US compendium of drug information that defines quality standards for medicines – some of the strictest worldwide. This classification proves that the igus ball bearings do not pose a risk of contamination here. xirodur MT180, our new material, has thus reached the highest biocompatibility class, says Semsroth. In this class, the high-performance plastic is approved even for contact with the bloodstream and is therefore just as biocompatible as the materials used in implants. The material also complies with DIN EN ISO 10993 for medical products.