Matrix Plastics and KraussMaffei Win Award for UK’s First Cleanroom Compounding Facility

Matrix Medical Materials, Matrix Plastics and KraussMaffei have won the Material Innovation Award at the Plastics Industry Awards 2025. Their joint entry was recognised at a black-tie gala held on Friday 21st November at the Intercontinental London Park Lane, hosted by comedian and television personality Ellie Taylor.

A Pioneering Medical Compounding Partnership

The winning project showcases a close partnership between Matrix Plastics and KraussMaffei that has delivered a fully integrated, cleanroom-based medical materials and moulding service under the Matrix Medical Materials brand.

The initiative combines Matrix Plastics’ specialist colour compounding and masterbatch expertise with KraussMaffei’s advanced injection moulding technology and technical support, giving medical manufacturers a one-stop route to develop the next generation of medical devices.

Establishing the UK’s First Cleanroom Compounding Facility

Matrix Plastics is a colour compound and masterbatch service provider based in Slough, Berkshire. With over 30 years of experience, its team delivers quality products and value-added services, supporting customers with full circle solutions from analysis and blending to repacking and custom packaging. To meet the demanding requirements of the medical sector, Matrix Plastics established Matrix Medical Materials and invested in a fully compliant medical facility.

In November 2023, the company achieved ISO 13485:2016 certification, confirming its ability to supply medical devices and related services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. The facility is the UK’s first cleanroom plastic compounding plant, providing a sterile manufacturing environment and impeccable hygiene standards. This capability has enabled Matrix Medical Materials to become the compounding partner of choice for medical manufacturers and OEMs across Europe.

Working with KraussMaffei, Matrix Plastics created a complete solution for designers and innovators. The investment gives Matrix the ability to produce parts that enable customers to develop new products under one roof, using a cleanroom facility that can achieve particle counts down to ISO Class 7 standards.

Matrix Plastics invested in the installation of a cleanroom, dedicated processes, and tightly controlled operations to reduce development time while maintaining compliance with medical industry regulations. All ingredients used in the production of medical products meet ISO 10993 1:2018 and USP Class VI standards.

The collaboration required an investment of over €1 million, including two custom extrusion lines, laboratory facilities, and a KraussMaffei KM50 PX electric moulding machine. KraussMaffei assigned a dedicated project manager to oversee installation from start to finish, with a comprehensive NDA agreed between all parties.

Technical, compliance and sustainability support

The partnership provides extensive support to medical device designers, processors, and OEMs, including material selection advice, compound and masterbatch production, prototype tooling and in-house sample moulding. KraussMaffei engineers assist with machine sizing, part evaluation and screw residence calculations, while Matrix Medical Materials manages ISO 10993 validation, FDA documentation and biocompatibility testing.

The collaboration also ensures consistency and compliance throughout product lifecycles. Matrix Medical Materials expedites regulatory documentation and change control for up to three years, maintaining strict quality assurance. Full laboratory testing covers microbiological and chemical analysis at all manufacturing stages.

Sustainability forms a key part of the initiative. Matrix Medical Materials can guide processors and OEMs on end-of-life and recycling options for developed medical devices. Around 90–95% of devices produced are polypropylene or ABS based, both of which are medically approved and recyclable, allowing repurposing for less critical applications and supporting the circular economy.

Together, Matrix Medical Materials, Matrix Plastics and KraussMaffei have created an integrated, ISO 13485 certified cleanroom compounding and moulding service that brings medical material development, validation, and production together under one roof. The Material Innovation Award at the Plastics Industry Awards 2025 recognises how this partnership turns specialist compounding, advanced processing technology and practical sustainability into a single, future-focused platform for the medical sector. This is already being utilised by giants of the medical sector, including most of the top 10 medical device manufacturers globally.

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