German firm Velox (Hamburg; www.velox.com) is to distribute Solvay’s (Brussels / Belgium; www.solvay.com) healthcare grades of “Ixef” PARA in Europe. The material is a polyarylamide that contains 50% glass fibres and is best suited for developing medical devices as single-use surgical tools. Solvay said that even with glass loadings of 50%, the material insures a high-gloss, glass-free finish.

Anja Flossbach, product manager for Ixef PARA at Velox, said the product is perfect for replacing metal, allowing operators to eliminate the costs associated with sterilising reusable instruments. Further benefits are said to be lower weight and a great level of design freedom.

“With Ixef PARA we have added a unique product to our medical plastics portfolio, complementing our already wide range of speciality products,” commented Franҫois Minec, general manager at Velox.

Ixef PARA is biocompatible according to standard ISO 10993. Velox said it offers the material in different gamma stabilised colours.