Why The Newest Color Technology for Medical Grade Fibers Enhances This Key Area in the Healthcare Industry

More than just a new color, the newest expansion of Honeywell's Spectra® Medical Grade (MG) Bio fiber portfolio helps further improve medical procedures and devices.

The latest blue color addition to our ultra-high strength, ultra-lightweight Spectra® Medical Grade (MG) Bio fiber portfolio enable healthcare professionals to operate more accurately and efficiently during minimally invasive surgeries resulting in a more comfortable patient experience.

The quality and strength of materials enable medical device professionals to create a wide variety of devices and implants.

Spectra® MG Bio Blue fiber is used in orthopedic implants, surgical robots, catheters, sutures and other medical applications and can be utilized by a wide range of manufacturers who are seeking to develop increasingly smaller, stronger and lighter devices.

What are Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibers?

Honeywell's Spectra® MG Bio fiber is an ultra-high strength and ultra-lightweight polyethylene fiber that's manufactured through a patented gel spinning process. Despite its size, it's 15 times stronger than steel and 3 times stronger than polyester.

As a result, our Spectra® MG Bio fiber portfolio offers superior durability and performance as it has excellent flex, low stretch and superior resistance to chemicals, fatigue and abrasion compared to other conventional polyethylene fibers, making it an optimal solution for minimal invasive surgeries.

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibers (UHMWPE) can be used in a variety of medical applications, such as robotics, delivery devices and implants. They are most commonly utilized in orthopedic soft tissue implants, endovascular, neurovascular and cardiovascular procedures.

What does this new color enhance?

Spectra® MG Bio Blue fiber is a critical tool for suture management. It provides a visual aid to better differentiate between suture strands used during surgeries.

Because it's made from 100% ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, braided sutures no longer have to use colored nylon or polyester, offering uniform elongation and tenacity as well as lower irritation to patients.

With the new blue colored Spectra® MG Bio fiber, we are providing manufacturers with greater opportunity to innovate resulting in improved surgical methods for healthcare practitioners.

Why does this matter?

Whether the blue UHMWPE fiber is used alone or in combination with Spectra® MG Bio White, it helps create a greater visual contrast with surrounding tissue, allowing surgeons to better differentiate between multiple suture sets during surgical procedures.

Spectra® MG Bio Blue fibers have passed cytotoxicity and biocompatibility tests and are manufactured in accordance to ISO 13485. As a high-quality raw material, they have been rigorously tested to help meet industry standards, enabling faster approval for medical device manufacturers’ end products, resulting in potential reduction of time and costs.

Additionally, since Spectra® MG Bio Blue fiber is manufactured in the United States, customers will have access to accurate, ISO 13485-conformant traceability information. Access to this information can help manufacturers meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) guidelines for medical devices.

This new blue addition to the Spectra® MG portfolio will allow Honeywell to collaborate and supply directly with medical device companies, contract manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). As a result, Honeywell will offer more tailored, flexible customer support to device manufacturers who aim to advance their device design with blue ultra-high molecular polyethylene.

Contact us to request a sample of Spectra® MG Bio Blue fiber today and learn how you can make your device smaller, stronger and more durable.