3D printed medical devices are emerging worldwide.
Evonik Industries, a leading global specialty chemicals company with revenue of 13.3 billion euros last year, has launched a new medical treatment in July 2019 with its strong research and development capabilities in medical implant biomaterials and a keen market sense -Grade 3D printing material—RESOMER® wire series, to achieve personalized, high-resolution 3D printing of bioabsorbable implants.
Degradable medical implant-grade 3D printing materials
High-quality wire for medical grade RESOMER®
RESOMER® is the brand name of a series of biodegradable polymers under Evonik. The material is mainly composed of lactide, glycolide, caprolactone and p-dioxanone. Among them, the wire series is an ideal material for high-resolution 3D printing for fuse manufacturing (FFF) / fuse deposition manufacturing (FDM).
Currently available standard grades include L-polylactic acid (PLLA), L-lactide-glycolide copolymer (PLGA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly-p-dioxanone (PDO), and According to actual needs for additional customization. These wire materials have strict standards, including 1.75 mm wire diameter and precise control of the processing temperature of the nozzle, bed and chamber during printing. All filaments are wound on spools, and the total weight of the package is 50 g.
From the words of Dr. Andreas Karau, global head of Evonik Biomaterials, Antarctic Bear learned that the characteristics of Evonik's medical implant 3D printing material include:
Highly adaptable fuse manufacturing (FFF) 3D printing technology
It can be degraded and help avoid secondary surgery: it can adjust the biological resorption cycle according to the growth of bone or tissue, that is, as the bone naturally heals, the implant will be hydrolyzed by body fluids to oligomers or even hydroxy acid monomers. Eventually it is degraded into water and carbon dioxide, which are naturally metabolized by the human body. This means that patients no longer need to endure the pain of secondary surgery in order to remove implants from the body.
With high flexibility and precision, it can better meet specific needs: the mechanical properties of the product, such as strength and elongation at break, can be adjusted according to the target application, can provide a variety of customized options, degradation time from less than 6 months to 3 years or more
With more than 30 years of safety, good biocompatibility and reliable supply, RESOMER® wire is becoming an ideal choice for high-quality 3D printed medical devices, especially for applications such as skull reconstruction, plastic surgery and dentistry.
In addition, Evonik's relevant application laboratories in China can also provide a wide range of services for a variety of 3D printing technologies including selective laser sintering (SLS) and fuse manufacturing (FFF). The service scope covers material selection and customization, feasibility samples, process development, analytical characterization, mechanical performance testing and degradation research.
"Private customization" of medical devices, creating a new way of medical applications
With the support of Evonik's RESOMER® wire series, the future 3D printed implantable medical devices can be "tailor-made" according to the actual needs of patients, closer to the goal of "precision medicine".
From the skull, spine, to the devices and products used to fix the bone … Working with the world's leading 3D printed biological materials, let us say goodbye to the era of standard parts with only unified models!
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Evonik is the world's leading specialty chemical company. Focusing on the specialty chemical business, customer-oriented innovation capabilities, and a corporate culture that promotes trust and performance form the strategic core of Evonik, driving it to continuously improve profitable growth and achieve higher company value. In addition, Evonik's development also benefits from its close customer relationship and market leadership. Evonik's business covers more than 100 countries and regions around the world, with more than 32,000 employees, including more than 2,500 employees and 10 production bases in China.