igus UK has announced that its iglidur A500 plain bearing material has been certified to fulfil the specifications of ISO 10993 Type A medical standards, meaning that it is biocompatible for use in medical applications with less than 24 hours exposure to patients' skin.
Matthew Aldridge, director at igus UK, says: "ISO 10993 is a 20-part standard used to evaluate the effects of medical devices and their component materials on the body, and we are delighted our material has been classified, which means that this material is safe when in contact with blood or patients skin. The bearing material is already a popular choice in the food and drink industry for its FDA certification, and by meeting this ISO 10993 standard means it is now suitable for a range of new applications in medical devices."
iglidur A500 is a high-temperature plastic bearing material suitable for use at up to 250degC. It has excellent resistance to cleaning agents, oils, alkalis and acids and as a result, specifiers and OEMs can be assured that it gives high performance in the medical industry, ensuring patient safety.
igus engineers develop more than 100 new plastic compounds each year and test the maintenance-free plain bearings in more than 3500 experiments, and have built up a comprehensive database on tribological properties of the polymers. The plastic bearings have high wear resistance, are self-lubricating and are corrosion-resistant.
For more information about the iglidur A500 plain bearing material, please visit the website at www.igus.co.uk.