WESTLAKE, OHIO — Fluoropolymer resins are gaining ground in the medical arena through applications such as catheters, heat-shrink tubing, sutures, biocontainment vessels, pre-filled syringes and inhaler components, according to John Felton of Daikin America Inc. Check out Felton’s discussion in this latest "The Experts Speak" video.

Felton, who is Daikin's market development manager in New York, said during the Plastics in Medical Devices 2012 conference in Westlake that the attraction of the medical market remains a strong one for plastic materials firms.

Fluoropolymers are on the high end of the price scale, but offer excellent performance, with low water absorption, biocompatibility, chemical resistance and barrier properties, Felton said. He disagreed with the commonly held idea that fluoropolymers are difficult to process and should only be used for special applications.

Daikin America is an Orangeburg, N.Y.-based subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Daikin Industries Ltd.

The conference, hosted by Plastics News, was held June 12-13.