Solvay (Brussels-based) recently announced at formnext 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany that it has added three medical-grade filaments to its high-performance materials portfolio for premium quality Additive manufacturing (AM) applications.
New materials include: pure KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK) AM filament, 10% carbon fiber reinforced KetaSpire PEEK AM filament and pure Radel polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) AM filament. The new materials are the company's first medical grade AM filaments for "restricted contact applications" (meaning they are suitable for contact with body fluids and body tissues for less than 24 hours). All three grades are available for sale in Europe and North America through Solvay's e-commerce platform.
Christophe Schramm, Solvay Specialty Polymers Global Business Unit ’s Additive Manufacturing Business Manager, said in a prepared statement: "The healthcare industry is rapidly becoming a leading market that benefits from AM technology. And small batch requirements for custom parts. However, there are still very limited high-performance filaments to choose from to meet the stringent regulatory requirements in the healthcare field, and we hope to make up for this with our new medical-grade products and increased material choices That gap. "
Solvay said its KetaSpire PEEK AM filament material is designed to enhance the fusion of printed layers, part density, and part strength, including along the z-axis. In addition to providing transparency, elongation and toughness, Radel PPSU AM filaments also support enhanced fusion between printed layers.