Evonik launches implant-grade PEEK filament for medical applications.
Specialty chemicals company Evonik has officially launched its PEEK 3D printing filament for custom medical implants.
First announced in 2018, VESTAKEEP i4 3DF is an ASTM F2026 compliant material which meets the specifications for PEEK polymers intended for surgical implant applications. Designed for standard, PEEK-compatible extrusion-based 3D printers, the natural-coloured material is produced under strict cleanroom conditions and benefits from biocompatibility, bio-stability, x-ray transparency and easy handling.
“For modern medical technology, the development of our first 3D-printable implant material opens up new opportunities for customising patient treatments. Orthopaedics and maxillofacial surgery are examples of areas where this could be applied,” explained Marc Knebel, who leads the Medical Devices & Systems market segment at Evonik. “Innovative high-performance materials like Evonik’s VESTAKEEP PEEK—along with highly complex hardware and software, and the perfect match between materials and machines—form the basis for a sustainable 3D-printing revolution in medical technology. Therefore, we will successively expand our product portfolio of 3D printable biomaterials.”
In addition to its implant grade filament, Evonik says it is also offering a testing-grade version which offers the exact same product properties but without the documentation needed for approval in medical applications. This allows potential users a cost-effective way of adapting the processing characteristics of the material to their chosen 3D printer.
Evonik has been steadily growing its additive manufacturing portfolio over the last 12 months through partnerships with a number of hardware vendors such as Voxeljet, Evolve and Cubicure, and with the launch of new high performance materials including the recent RESOMER PrintPowder.
