TBL Performance Plastics selects Solvay's Udel® PSU resins

Solvay's Udel® P-1700 PSU resin offers superior performance for TBL's sight gauges used in pharma.

Alpharetta, Ga., March 15, 2021

After trials with polycarbonate (PC) resin failed, TBL, a manufacturer of single-use, bio-process components and systems, turned to Solvay’s transparent Udel^® P-1700 PSU resin to achieve superior strength, transparency, heat resistance, hydrolytic stability and retention of mechanical properties under steam sterilization for demanding biopharmaceutical processing conditions.

“Solvay takes a highly proactive approach to material testing to support the regulatory compliance needs of pharma industry customers,” said Anna Maria Bertasa, global marketing manager – healthcare for Solvay’s Specialty Polymers global business unit.  “Our value-added services enhance our high-performance polymers and support biopharma processing trends such as the increased adoption of single-use components. By delivering on all the stringent requirements of TBL’s Tri-Clamp sight gauges, Udel^® PSU resin demonstrates how critically important material technologies are to this fast-changing and demanding sector.”

In addition to transparent Udel^® P-1700 PSU resin, which is extruded into the single-use tubular sight gauges, TBL chose an opaque, white grade of Udel^® PSU resin to create the connection between the sight gauge and the tubing used in various critical bio-processing applications. This product is over-molded onto the sight gauge to form a secure and hygienic gasket that is affixed with a mechanical clamp.

“Udel^® P-1700 PSU resin is a major breakthrough for the pharmaceutical industry,” said Robert DuPont, managing director of operations for TBL Performance Plastics. “One key factor in choosing Udel^® P-1700 PSU resin is the incredibly rigorous regulatory testing done by Solvay, particularly for extractables and leachables under the BioPhorum Operations Group (BPOG) standard. Solvay has taken a lead position in providing this data to its customers. Based on the exceptional performance of Udel^® PSU resin and our productive collaboration with Solvay, we are planning to expand the use of this material into novel products currently under development.”

These Solvay materials are animal-derived component free (ADCF) and meet USP Class IV and ISO 10993 requirements for biocompatibility.

Solvay offers a broad selection of high-purity, specialty polymers for pharmaceutical and bioprocessing technologies. Products include Udel^® PSU, Veradel^® HC polyethersulfone (PESU), Radel^® polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), Ixef^® polyarylamide (PARA), KetaSpire^® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and AvaSpire^® polyaryletherketone (PAEK) resins. These materials can be used in a range of applications in these sectors such as filtration media and housings, components and instruments, as well as fluid and storage management systems.

^® Udel, Veradel, Radel, Ixef, KetaSpire and AvaSpire are registered trademarks of Solvay

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About Solvay

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Learn more at www.solvay.com.

About TBL Performance Plastics

Founded in 2002, TBL Performance Plastics is an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer of non-metallic single-use systems and components tailored for bio-pharmaceutical manufacturers, CMO’s, drug-development companies and related OEM’s. Their four manufacturing capabilities include tubing extrusion, injection molding, single-use assembly, and plastic fabrication. TBL is part of SaniSure, a global single-use technology (SUT) company and world leader in providing novel single-use fluidic systems and components.