X-ray detectable plastics

In answer to the often asked question, “Can you see plastic on x-ray?”, the answer is that engineering plastics do not show up well on x-ray or fluoroscopic displays, unless they have been modified in some way to make them more opaque than the surrounding substrate.  This characteristic is important for applications in both the medical and food industries, and Ensinger has developed innovative solutions for both.

Professionals in the Health Care Industry have found that it is often desirable to be able to clearly distinguish between the surgical apparatus being used, and the surrounding bone and tissue being examined or repaired. 

Ensinger’s TECAPEEK MT XRO (PEEK) and TECASON P MT XRO (PPSU) are medical grade x-ray plastics that have been designed with the medical professional in mind.  These products include a special additive package that renders these materials radio opaque when viewed under X-ray and fluoroscopic radiation, thus providing healthcare professionals with a precise picture of their instruments and tools during image controlled procedures.  The XRO family of radio opaque, x-ray plastic products is available in several different colors

TECAPEEK MT XRO (PEEK) and TECASON P MT XRO (PPSU) are medical grade plastics with good visibility and radiography.  is a medical grade PPSU with good visibility and radiography. 

A contrast medium added to the standard TECAPEEK MT and TECASON P MT lines permits clear visibility of compo­nents under fluoroscopy and X-ray radiation. It provides the surgeon with a precise pic­ture of their instruments or of orthopaedic trial implants during image controlled procedures.

As in line x-ray technology and its associated costs have improved, producers in the food industry have begun to embrace the technology as a reliable method for alerting production workers to the presence of unwanted particulate matter during food quality inspection.

In addition to optical and metal detective characteristics, Ensinger’s Ultra Detectable family of engineering plastics also has the ability to be picked up by typical in-line x-ray detection systems that are being deployed in food production facilities for quality inspection purposes.  TECAFORM AH UD blue (POM), HYDEX 4101 UD blue (PBT), and TECAPEEK UD blue (PEEK) all count x-ray detection among their key properties. These multi-detectable products have been proven to be valuable material choices to equipment designers looking for the most versatile engineering x-ray plastic solutions.