Evonik, a specialty chemical company, has added a new PEEK filament for 3D printed implants to its biomaterials portfolio. The new material, VESTAKEEP® iC4800 3DF, is an osteoconductive PEEK filament that helps bone and implant fusion.
Extrusion-based 3D printing technologies such as fused filament fabrication can be used to process the high-performance polymer (FFF). The new product will be unveiled for the first time at the AAOS trade show in Chicago, USA (March 22-26, 2022).
PEEK Filament for 3D Printed Implants
Evonik’s VESTAKEEP® Fusion product line launched in 2020, and the new PEEK filament for 3D printed implants is a biomaterial from that very line. Excellent biocompatibility and biostability, as well as improved osteoconductive properties, distinguish the new high-performance polymer. Biphasic calcium phosphate, a functional special additive, was used to achieve osteoconductivity (BCP). The BCP additive helps bone cells adhere to implants more quickly, which has a positive impact on the bone-implant interface, also known as osteointegration. This will hasten bone fusion and, as a result, patient recovery.
The VESTAKEEP® iC4800 3DF was created for use in Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). The PEEK filament in natural colour has a diameter of 1.75 mm and is wound onto 250 gramme or 500 gramme spools. For PEEK materials, they can be printed directly in standard FFF 3D printers. Customer feedback and tests on various 3D printers confirm Evonik’s new filament’s excellent processability. Furthermore, the functional additives are available directly on the surface of the 3D printed implant without any additional post-processing steps, which is a first for osteointegrative PEEK biomaterials. VESTAKEEP® iC4800, like all Fusion products, is manufactured under strict quality control 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. Since the product launch of the first PEEK filament for 3D printed implants 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.”
– Marc Knebel, Head of Medical Systems at Evonik
For more than 20 years, Evonik has been the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance polymers for additive manufacturing technologies. The specialty chemicals company has the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of 3D printable biomaterials for medical technology, which can be used to make medical device parts that come into contact with the body on a temporary or permanent basis. The portfolio also includes the RESOMER® line of bioresorbable filaments, powders and granules for implantable medical devices, in addition to VESTAKEEP® i4 3DF and VESTAKEEP® Care M40 3DF,
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