Polycarbonate fills an important niche as one of the most popular engineering resins in the medical device market. Bisphenola polycarbonate has been commercially available since the 1960s, and its use in medical devices dates from approximately that time. Possessing a broad range of physical properties that enable it to replace glass or metal in many products, polycarbonate offers an unusual combination of strength, rigidity, and toughness that helps prevent potentially lifethreatening material failures. In addition, it provides glasslike clarity, a critical characteristic for clinical and diagnostic settings in which visibility of tissues, blood, and other fluids is required.
