3D printed PEEK for implant applications
Since the invention of PEEK materials in the UK in the 70s of the last century, PEEK materials have been widely used in many high-end manufacturing industries such as aerospace, automobile manufacturing, and electronic and electrical industries with excellent performance. Although PEEK material started late in medical implants, it still has some unique advantages compared with metal implants, such as:
1. Light:PEEK material is generally only 1.3g per cubic centimeter ,with a similar density as human bone, and no additional burden on the human body.
2. PEEK material is also corrosion-resistant an.d can cope with the complex chemical environment of the human body.
Custom-printed PEEK implant for bone replacement for orbital defect
3.The elastic modulus of PEEK material is comparable to that of human bone tissue, which can better work with the left and right neighbors and reduce the stress occlusion phenomenon common to metals.
The metal implant leads to a decrease in the density of the surrounding bone tissue
4.Metal implants will have more or less metal artifacts on CT or X-ray in future imaging examinations, which will affect the diagnosis of future diseases. PEEK material avoids this phenomenon in principle due to the nuclear structure problem in X-ray an.d CT.
GE's technology to reduce metal artifacts
Metal artifacts can be seen that interfere with actual clinical judgment. Although there is noise reduction technology, it still has a lot more trouble and time cost than the native artifact-free PEEK material. The imaging data of PEEK implants is basically free of interference.
5.PEEK material has self-lubricating properties, which is also an ability that cannot be achieved by traditional metals, and can be better used in human joints, which often slide.
PEEK material has lots of advantages as an implant, an.d the use of 3D printing technology for printing processing can meet the trend of more and more personalized surgical treatment.
1. FDM technology
In the past, PEEK was difficult to achieve due to its high melting point, but now with the progress of technology, this point has been overcome by many universities and manufacturers.
2. SLS technology printing
The SLS-printed SpineFab VBR implant system became the first-ever 3D-printed implant to be approved by the US FDA in 2015 (ahead of FDM), and SLS technology has been active in the medical industry ever since. SLS laser sintering technology is a more high-end technology than FDM technology, which has high processing efficiency, simple post-processing, and can be delivered to patients more quickly for surgery.
OsteoFab patient-specific cranial device with PEEK polymer
PEEK implants printed by JUGAO-AM
