Evonik

Evonik - We boost the next generation of biomaterials for your medical devices to improve the quality of life.

Darmstadt, Germany. Evonik is further expanding its portfolio of 3D-printable biomaterials for medical technology: The specialty chemicals company has developed VESTAKEEP® iC4800 3DF, a new osteoconductive PEEK filament that improves fusion between bone and implants. The high-performance polymer can be processed in common extrusion-based 3D printing technologies such as fused filament fabrication (FFF). Evonik will present the new product for the first time at the AAOS trade show in Chicago, USA (March 22-26, 2022).

Evonik launches osteoconductive VESTAKEEP® Fusion PEEK filament for 3D printed implants

Expansion of the VESTAKEEP® Fusion product family
Faster bone healing through improved osteointegration between bone and implant
Individual implant designs by means of additive manufacturing

Darmstadt, Germany. Evonik is further expanding its portfolio of 3D-printable biomaterials for medical technology: The specialty chemicals company has developed VESTAKEEP® iC4800 3DF, a new osteoconductive PEEK filament that improves fusion between bone and implants. The high-performance polymer can be processed in common extrusion-based 3D printing technologies such as fused filament fabrication (FFF). Evonik will present the new product for the first time at the AAOS trade show in Chicago, USA (March 22-26, 2022).

More quality of life due to faster bone healing

The new PEEK filament is a biomaterial from Evonik’s VESTAKEEP® Fusion product line launched in 2020. The high-performance polymer impresses with excellent biocompatibility and biostability as well as improved osteoconductive properties. The osteoconductivity was achieved by using a functional special additive – biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP). The BCP additive allows bone cells to adhere to implants more quickly, thus positively influencing the boundary, so called osteointegration, between the bone and the implant. This, in turn, will accelerate bone fusion and thus patient recovery.

VESTAKEEP® iC4800 3DF was developed for use in the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology. With a diameter of 1.75 mm, the PEEK filament in natural color is wound onto 250 gram or 500 gram spools. They can be used directly in standard FFF 3D printers for PEEK materials. Tests on various 3D printers as well as customer feedback confirm excellent processability of Evonik’s new filament. Furthermore, VESTAKEEP® iC4800 3DF has been specially designed so that the functional additives are available directly on the surface of the 3D printed implant without further post-processing steps – a novelty for osteointegrative PEEK biomaterials. Like all products of the Fusion range,
VESTAKEEP® iC4800 is manufactured under strict quality management for biomaterials.

Advancing 3D printing in medical technology

“No other application field showcases more the classic advantages of 3D printing, such as individualization or design freedom, than medical technology,” says Marc Knebel, Head of Medical Systems at Evonik. “Since the product launch of the first PEEK filament a good three years ago, we have been expanding the possibilities of modern medical technology in the individual treatment of patients using additive manufacturing by constantly developing new innovative biomaterials.”

Evonik has been the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance polymers for additive manufacturing technologies for more than 20 years. The specialty chemicals company offers the industry’s most extensive portfolio of 3D-printable biomaterials for medical technology, which can be used to manufacture medical device parts designed for temporary and permanent body contact. In addition to VESTAKEEP® i4 3DF and
VESTAKEEP® Care M40 3DF, the portfolio includes the RESOMER® line of bioresorbable filaments, powders and granules for implantable medical devices.

Evonik Industries AG

Rellinghauser Straße 1-11
45128 Essen
Germany
Phone: +49 201 177-01
www.evonik.com

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Press Releases

Evonik launches osteoconductive VESTAKEEP® Fusion PEEK filament for 3D printed implants

11 March 2022

Evonik and Samaplast expand the performance spectrum of plastic implants

Darmstadt, Germany. The specialty chemicals company Evonik and the Swiss plastics specialist Samaplast are combining their expertise in the development of an osteoconductive PEEK biomaterial for injection molding.

27 September 2021

Evonik presents new 3D-printable PEEK Care Filament for more individualization in medical technology

• VESTAKEEP® Care M40 3DF for medical applications with body contact up to 30 days • New possibilities in the individual treatment of patients • Further filaments for additive manufacturing in the pipeline

8 June 2021

More quality of life for patients: Evonik wants to extend the service life of joint prostheses with PEEK biomaterials

• Collaboration with the Harris Orthopaedics Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA • Transfer of innovation from veterinary to human medicine • Partner search for further development steps

8 June 2021

Evonik launches next-generation PEEK biomaterial for medical technology applications

Evonik has developed a new osteoconductive polyether ether ketone (PEEK) for the medical technology market that improves the fusion between the bone and the implant. With the introduction of the new biomaterial, the specialty chemicals company is launching a new product line of next-generation, PEEK-based implant materials that it will market under the brand name VESTAKEEP® Fusion. Evonik will unveil the product at the virtual Eurospine conference October 6–9.

16 October 2020

Evonik launches new radiopaque PEEK material for implant technology

Evonik is expanding its product range of biocompatible high-performance polymers of its VESTAKEEP® PEEK brand for medical technology: The specialty chemical company has developed a new radiopaque plastic material of implant quality on the basis of polyether ether ketone.

24 July 2020

Evonik invests in Chinese 3D-printing start-up making medical implants

Evonik Venture Capital has invested in a 3D-printing start-up in China that makes implants for neuro and spine surgery.

24 July 2020

Evonik develops world’s first free-flowing bioresorbable powder for the 3D printing of implantable medical devices

Evonik, a global biomaterials leader, today announced the development of the world’s first bioresorbable polymer in powder form suitable for the high-resolution printing of implantable medical devices on Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) equipment.

24 July 2020

Evonik launches implant-grade PEEK filament for medical applications in 3D printing

Evonik is the first company in the world to launch a 3D-printable PEEK (polyether ether ketone) filament as an implant-grade material for medical applications.

24 July 2020

Products & services

Strong grades

VESTAMID® Care ML grades cover a range of polyamide 12 (PA12) resins with different viscosities for processing via extrusion or injection moulding. In addition to unstabilised base resins, our portfolio contains compounds with heat and UV-stabilisation as well as reinforced compounds. Due to the high dimensional stability, tensile strength and low sliding friction, VESTAMID® Care ML grades are for example the materials of choice for catheters and tubings. Typical areas of application for reinforced VESTAMID Care ML grades include housing-parts, monitoring and imaging devices and durable medical equipment.

Flexible grades

VESTAMID Care ME materials are polyether block amides, Evonik's flexible polyamide, which is available in various hardnesses. Due to their broad range of flexibility, VESTAMID Care ME grades are used in different parts of catheter constructions - may it be the distal end, requiring a low modulus for non-traumatic insertion, or the proximal end, needing a high modulus for force and torque transmission. All VESTAMID Care ME grades are free of plasticisers and stabilised against heat and UV-light.

Transparent grades

Our TROGAMID® Care grades are microcrystalline transparent polyamides. All TROGAMID Care grades are BPA free. Amorphous TROGAMID Care MT50 comprises one of the highest moduli compared with other transparent polyamides and the microcrystalline TROGAMID MX grades exhibit exceptional resistance against chemicals and stress-cracking. Hence, TROGAMID Care MX is the material of choice for all applications dealing with pharmaceutical formulations, lipids or aggressive disinfectants. Examples include dialyser parts, housings, covers, hearing aids, luid and drug delivery equipment such as stopcocks and connectors.

High temperature grades

When it comes to application conditions involving high temperatures, VESTAKEEP® Care grades are the materials of choice. VESTAKEEP Care polyether ether ketone (PEEK) medical grades are available in different viscosities for processing via extrusion or injection molding. These products offer higher resistance to heat, chemicals, and hydrolysis. Typical areas of application for VESTAKEEP Care include parts for housings and surgical instruments, gear wheels and other parts for functional units and durable medical equipment. Due to their low water absorption, parts made out from VESTKEEP Care grades resist steam autoclaving for an extended number of autoclaving cycles.

Bonding grades

VESTAMID® Care ME-B grades cover a range of polyether-block-amides (PEBA) with different flexibility and hardness, which were specially modified to adhere to Daikin's Neoflon® EFEP RP-5000 without the need for any adhesive. The chemical nature of both materials results in the formation of covalent bonds among the polymer chains of VESTAMID Care ME-B and Neoflon® EFEP at the boundary layer upon processing via coextrusion. Thereby, multilayer tubings can be realised, whichcombine the individual properties of both EFEP and PEBA, and do not contain any compatibiliser or adhesive, that might migrate out of the device.

3D printing grades

VESTAKEEP®i4 3DF is perfectly suitable for additive manufacturing using fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology. This PEEK filament is an implant-grade material based on VESTAKEEP® i4 G, a highly viscous, high-performance polymer from Evonik impressing by its biocompatibility, biostability, x-ray transparency, and easy handling. The filament is produced under cleanroom conditions and then subjected to stringent quality management standards for medical materials to meet the requirements of ASTM F2026 (the standard specification for PEEK polymers for surgical implant applications).

Processing Additives

VESTENAMER® is used as valuable processing aid and polymer modifier for softer rubber seals and stoppers in vial cap applications and production of complex rubber parts for medical applications.

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Evonik - We boost the next generation of biomaterials for your medical devices to improve the quality of life.