Evonik has introduced a carbon-fiber reinforced PEEK filament for 3D-printed medical implants. The biomaterial can be processed in extrusion-based 3D-printing technologies such as fused filament fabrication (FFF) and fused deposition modeling (FDM).
The material is available in two filaments. VESTAKEEP iC4612 3DF features 12% carbon-fiber content, and VESTAKEEP iC4620 3DF features 20% carbon-fiber content. The two grades offer a choice of material depending on the required strength and flex properties needed for 3D-printed implants such as bone plates or reconstructive prostheses. With a diameter of 1.75 mm, the two filaments are supplied on 500g and 1,000g spools that can be used directly in standard FFF/FDM 3D printers for PEEK materials.
Additional product benefits include the ability to define the alignment of the carbon fibers during the 3D printing process, high bio-compatibility for metal allergy patients and no x-ray artifacts.
“By introducing the world’s first carbon-fiber reinforced PEEK filament for long-term medical implants, we continue to design biomaterials that open up new possibilities in today’s medical technology for patient-specific treatment,” said Marc Knebel, Head of Medical Systems at Evonik. “As passionate experts with decades of experience in polymer chemistry, we combine a unique set of competencies in materials science, manufacturing technologies and regulatory expertise to customers to accelerate the time-to-market of new medical technologies for people’s lives beyond limits.”
The new filaments expand Evonik’s PEEK-based 3D-printing portfolio, which includes VESTAKEEP i4 3DF, VESTAKEEP i4 3DF-T and VESTAKEEP iC4800 3DF.
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