INFINAM PEEK 9359 F High-performance polymer as a metal replacement for the additive manufacturing of sophisticated industrial plastic parts. Photo via Evonik.
26 Apr
Blog

Evonik launches new INFINAM PEEK filament for industrial 3D printing

The German specialty chemicals company Evonik has launched a new ready-to-use PEEK filament for 3D printing of industrial plastic parts.

The high-temperature material called INFINAM PEEK 9359 F is compatible with extrusion-based 3D printing processes such as FDM and FFF and is designed as a metal replacement for “infinite” industrial 3D printing applications.

“Following the commercial success of PEEK filament for medical technology, we are now expanding the product range to include an industrial material quality,” said Sylvia Monsheimer, Head of Additive Manufacturing and New 3D Technologies at Evonik.

“We use our innovative strength in polymer chemistry to constantly develop new filaments, powders or photopolymers and bring them to market in order to diversify the material landscape and thus enable new, infinite applications.”

INFINAM PEEK 9359 F High-performance polymer as a metal replacement for the additive manufacturing of sophisticated industrial plastic parts. Photo via Evonik.

Evonik’s 3D printing portfolio

Evonik’s Smart Materials product range includes 3D software and a wide range of polymer printing materials, many of which were renamed INFINAM in October 2020. The INFINAM portfolio includes the company’s impact-resistant PEEK photopolymer (TI). Printing materials for thermoplastic copolyesters (TPC) and amides (TPA), although their biomaterials remained separate from the rebranding.

One of Evonik’s main focuses was the development of its materials for various applications in the medical field. The company thus signed a long-term agreement with the 3D-printed framework developer BellaSeno for the development of 3D-printed breast structures using its RESOMER range of materials.

In February of last year, Evonik developed a bioresorbable Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) powder for the manufacture of 3D-printed implantable medical devices with the potential to prevent bone loss and shortly afterwards introduced a new PEEK filament that is used for medical purposes Manufacturing of 3D printed plastic is certified for surgical implants.

Since then, Evonik has acquired a minority stake in the Chinese industrial SLA 3D printer manufacturer UnionTech, which is preparing the introduction of a number of new formulations in its INFINAM photopolymer product line and, as part of its long-term partnership with the multinational printer HP, also has a flexible TPA special powder Co-branded that is optimized for HP Multi Jet Fusion technology.

Following the commercial success of its PEEK filament for medical applications, Evonik has now taken the step of expanding its PEEK product range to include an industrial-grade material.

INFINAM PEEK 9359 F filament spool. Photo via Evonik.INFINAM PEEK 9359 F filament spool. Photo via Evonik.

Replacing metal in industrial AM applications

INFINAM PEEK 9359 F is expanding Evonik’s 3D printing material portfolio to include industrial applications, in particular 3D-printed industrial plastic parts. The ready-to-use filament is suitable for use in standard FDM and FFF 3D printers for PEEK materials and has high mechanical strength, hydrolysis resistance and flame retardancy.

Thanks to these properties, the filament can be used to manufacture lightweight, high-performance 3D printed components in the aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas industries. Parts printed from INFINAM PEEK 9359 F can withstand the long-term effects of temperatures up to 250 degrees Celsius and the short-term effects of temperatures up to 300 degrees Celsius, making the material a potential replacement for metal parts in these sectors.

Parts printed with Evonik’s industrial PEEK filament are reportedly 80 percent lighter and 30 percent tougher than stainless steel parts, and at the same time have excellent fatigue resistance. In conjunction with considerable wear resistance and low sliding friction, the properties of the filament make it a suitable choice for the production of lightweight components.

INFINAM PEEK 9359 F has a “natural” color and a diameter of 1.75 mm, which is wound on 500 g spools. The industrial-grade filament complements Evonik’s range of 3D printing materials under the INFINAM brand.

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The picture shown shows the high-performance polymer INFINAM PEEK 9359 F as a metal replacement for the additive manufacturing of sophisticated industrial plastic parts. Photo via Evonik.



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The new natural-colored filament from Evonik is wound on spools of 250 g and 500 g. Photo via Evonik.
01 Feb
Blog

Evonik launches new PEEK filament appropriate for 3D printing medical implants 

German specialty chemicals company Evonik has added its new Vestakeep i4 3DF polyetheretherketone (PEEK) filament with implant quality to its portfolio of 3D printing materials.

The new material meets the requirements of ASTM F2026, the industry standard for surgical implant applications, and enables the manufacture of plastic 3D surgical implants using FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) technology.

“For modern medical technology, the development of our first 3D printable implant material opens up new possibilities for adapting patient treatments,” said Marc Knebel, Head of the Medical Devices and Systems Market Segment at Evonik. “Orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery are examples of areas where this could be applied.”

The Vestakeep i4 3DF filament

Vestakeep i4 3DF was first announced in 2018 and is the first PEEK-based filament that can be used for implant applications. Earlier materials such as KetaSpire PEEK and Radel PPSU were only rated for limited contact medical applications, meaning that less than 24 hours of exposure to body fluids or tissues were allowed and they were not suitable for implant applications.

Based on Evonik’s earlier Vestakeep i4 G material, which was used in spinal implants, maxillofacial surgery, and sports medicine, the new material exhibits high biocompatibility, biostability and X-ray transparency. This makes implantation easier for both the surgeon and the patient during follow-up appointments

The high-performance polymer was specially developed for use with FFF technology and manufactured under clean room conditions. This makes it ideal for surgical applications. The natural colored filament is wound on 250 or 500 gram spools and has a diameter of 1.75 mm. It is suitable for direct use in standard FFF 3D printers for PEEK materials.

Evonik will also offer a test version of the PEEK filament that has the same processing properties as the implant material, but without the certification required for medical applications.

The new natural-colored filament from Evonik is available for spools of 250 g and 500 g. Photo via Evonik.

Surgical applications in 3D printing

While PEEK materials have not previously been used to make medical implants, they have been used extensively in other medical applications.

German 3D printer and material manufacturer Apium additive technologies announced in November 2018 that Evonik’s Vestakeep i4 G material had been successfully used for manufacturing Implants and devices for the skull and the hand. Using the M220 3D printer, Apium Additive made implants that can be placed on the head, skull, neck, face or jaw and possibly treat other injuries and infections as well.

German medical 3D printing startup Kumovis, started his first 3D printerThe R1 was developed last August to manufacture patient-specific medical devices and prototypes from high-performance plastics such as PEEK. Using an optional filter with the 3D printer prevents foreign particles from getting into the build chamber. This has an effect similar to setting up a clean room, an environment that is often required for medical research purposes.

FossiLabsThe US-based start-up for medical 3D printing also used PEEK materials to manufacture porous material 3D printed bone-like framework structures. Using FossiLabs proprietary hardware, the bone-like structures are designed to benefit existing implantable devices where bone growth may be desirable.

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The picture shows the newly introduced PEEK filament in implant quality from Evonik. Photo via Evonik.

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3D-printable PEEK filament in implant quality
19 Jan
Blog

Evonik Launches Implant-Grade 3D Printable PEEK Filament for Medical Purposes

Above: Evonik is launching 3D-printable PEEK filament in implant quality for medical applications / Photo credits: Evonik

Evonik, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals, announced Introduction of a 3D printable PEEK filament in implant quality for medical applications. With this medical filament, it sets new standards for the design and manufacture of bespoke plastic implants that can now be manufactured using additive manufacturing processes that meet the requirements of ASTM F2026 (the standard specification for PEEK polymers for surgical implant applications).

This PEEK filament is sold under the brand name VESTAKEEP® i4 3DF and is an implant-quality material based on VESTAKEEP® i4 G, a highly viscous high-performance polymer from Evonik. Customers will be impressed with the biocompatibility, biostability, X-ray transparency and ease of use of the product. The filament is manufactured under clean room conditions and then subjected to strict quality management standards for medical materials.

In 2018 Evonik became the very first company Introduction of a 3D printable PEEK filament (polyetheretherketone) as an implantable material (VESTAKEEP® i4 G) for medical applications.

PEEK FILAMENT FOR FUSED FILAMENT FABRICATION

PEEK (Poly Ether Ether Ketone) is a high-performance material that was developed for FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) technology. The natural-colored PEEK filament from Evonik has a diameter of 1.75 mm and is available in spools of 250 or 500 grams, which are suitable for direct use in all standard FFF 3D printers for PEEK materials.

Marc Knebel, Head of the Medical Devices & Systems market segment at Evonik, commented on the new launch: “For modern medical technology, the development of our first 3D printable implant material opens up new possibilities for adapting patient treatments. Orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery are examples of areas where this could be applied. Innovative high-performance materials such as Evonik’s VESTAKEEP® PEEK, together 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. We will therefore gradually expand our product portfolio of 3D printable biomaterials. “

EXAM LEVEL ACTIVATES COST-EFFECTIVE PROCESS ADAPTATION

3D printable PEEK filament in implant qualityAbove: The new PEEK filament from Evonik is based on the earlier medical material VESTAKEEP® i4 G / Photo credits: Evonik

In addition to its implant quality, Evonik also offers a test version of its PEEK filament. The term refers to a material class with exactly the same product properties as the implant quality, but without the documentation required for approval in medical technology applications. This offers a cost-effective way of adapting the processing properties of the high-performance plastic to a specific 3D printer.

Evonik has been the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance polymers and additives for additive manufacturing for more than 20 years. The specialty chemicals company offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of GMP-grade biomaterials used in the 3D printing of medical device parts for temporary and permanent body contact. In addition to VESTAKEEP® i4 3DF, the portfolio includes the RESOMER® series of bioabsorbable filaments, powders and granulates for implantable medical devices.

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Evonik Launches FDM PEEK Filament for Implants - 3DPrint.com
09 Jan
Blog

Evonik Launches FDM PEEK Filament for Implants – 3DPrint.com

PEEK polyetheretherketone is a high-performance thermoplastic with high continuous operating temperatures, strength as well as smoke and toxicity at low flame. Because of this, it is a widely sought-after material by engineers in applications such as under-the-hood automotive parts or aerospace parts. PEEK is viewed by many as a miracle material, not just because it meets many high-tech requirements. PEEK can also be used in the body for implants. Several spinal screws, suture anchors, orthopedic implants, and other long-term body implant products have recently appeared on the market. PEEK is in great demand in areas as diverse as CMF and the spine.

Generally, PEEK implants are made by CNC or, if printed, made with SLS (powder bed fusion, sintering). SLS is a proven technology approved for surgical guides and implants. The high productivity, reliability, and predictability of SLS make it a good technology to make things with, especially when they are small and require precision. However, SLS PEEK powders are expensive. Using SLS, a laser, sinters lose some polymer powders on a bed of spread powder. A new layer is then spread out and the process repeats itself. Unsintered powder is used as a carrier material. Once a large block or cake has been built it is removed from the printer and pieces are sifted out and brushed out to remove the loose powder. This remaining powder can then to a certain extent be mixed with new fresh powder and used again. The recycling rate depends on the powder and processing.

If a printer uses a ton of powder per month, we essentially recycle a third per build, and ultimately throw away half a ton of powder for every 500 kg of components. Nota Bene: This is just a general example to better understand the economics of SLS. With different materials and parts, stains, spaces, etc. you will get different results. This is still much more efficient than, for example, cutting away material for CNC, but is quite a waste. If you’re paying $ 100 a kilo for PA, it’s pretty expensive on a monthly basis. And that’s for a medium-sized machine working at full production. $ 50,000 per machine per month, ouch. Imagine you have ten or more.

But PEEK powder is much more expensive. Depending on the certification, you pay five to nine times more per kilo for PEEK. And it gets worse because the PEEK powder recycling rate in SLS machines is effectively zero. We throw everything away. All of it. Everything that is not a component is thrown away. So depending on the workload, the specific quality and the machine; They throw out a pair of powdered Ferraris per machine per month. Imagine you’re a business owner with your own service bureau and you walk past some 4,911 powder bins every day that you throw away that day, it must hurt.

This explains the reasons for today’s introduction of a PEEK filament for implants by Evonik. 3D4Makers, 3DXtech, Appium and other companies have been offering PEEK filaments for several years. Solvay has a healthcare PEEK filament that you can purchase as well. It conforms to ISO 10993 and is suitable for applications with limited contact for 24 hours and less. The PEEK market leader Victrex has also sold medical PEEK for implantology to a select few. Alternative materials such as PEKK from Arkema are available, but often not with the certifications and approvals for long-term use in the body. Evonik now has an FDM quality that is especially suitable for implants.

Due to the suitability of the material for this purpose and the legal liability, polymer companies are reluctant to allow the use of polymers in the body in the long term. DowCorning, a huge joint venture, went bankrupt over liability for breast implants, which “never made up more than 1 percent of our business,” yet forced the company to raise $ 2.35 billion for applicants. Many polymer companies therefore consider potential revenues from medical implant polymers to be insufficient for a possible headshot for their company.

In this case, Evonik has done its homework on its ASTM F2026-compliant PEEK filament. The business case is clear: with FDM, you only print the material you use (plus any additional support possible). This means that you end up using a lot less material per part than if you were to fill a full SLS machine. Especially with larger implants, FDM has an advantage in terms of time in the machine and time to separation. Besides Kumovis and Vshaper, only a few medical part-specific high-temperature printers have been developed for FDM. I think this can be a fantastically profitable niche that would be difficult to displace a reliable supplier from. The introduction of this FDM material by Evonik can serve as an impetus for the development of high-temperature FDM printers with higher media performance that are required for the use of the filament.

With a surgical implant PEEK material, the VESTAKEEP i4 3DF, 1.75 mm, on 250 or 500 gram spools is based on VESTAKEEP i4 G with good “biocompatibility, biostability, X-ray transparency and easy handling”. X-ray transparency is a great benefit of medical polymer implants as it allows clinicians to verify that the implant is properly placed after implantation and to perform CT scans, especially those with contrast, after or even during implantation or scans they leave appropriate can see the progress of bone or tissue healing. In CTs and MRIs, metal implants cause artifacts on some scans or can prevent surgeons from seeing important details through shadows or opacity. Magnetic implants and MRIs aren’t a great combination either.

Marc Knebel from Evonik Medical Devices & Systems,

“For modern medical technology, the development of our first 3D printable implant material opens up new possibilities for the adaptation of patient treatments. Orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery are examples of areas where this could be applied. Innovative high-performance materials such as Evonik’s VESTAKEEP PEEK, together 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. We will therefore gradually expand our product portfolio of 3D printable biomaterials. “

Evonik has released a test grade to make you less shy when you take the plunge for PEEK.

“The term refers to a material class with exactly the same product properties as the implant quality, but without the documentation that is required for approval in medical technology applications. This offers a cost-effective way of adapting the processing properties of the high-performance plastic to a specific 3D printer. “

This is a great idea other companies should look into as it would make research and product development of high performance polymers much cheaper.

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Evonik develops the "world’s first" PEEK filament in implant-grade quality for 3D printing
19 Dec
Blog

Evonik develops the “world’s first” PEEK filament in implant-grade high quality for 3D printing

Evonik claims it is the first company in the world to have developed a polymer filament based on polyetheretherketone (PEEK) in implant quality for use as a 3D printing material for implants.

This high-performance material can be used in FFF technology (Fused Filament Fabrication) and is intended to enable the additive manufacture of three-dimensional plastic parts for medical implants in the human body.

The new PEEK filament is based on Vestakeep i4 G, a highly viscous implant material from Evonik. The product, which has impressive biocompatibility, biostability and X-ray transparency, is easy to process and has for years established itself as a high-performance material for medical technology applications such as spinal implants, sports medicine and maxillofacial surgery.

Evonik will also offer a lower-cost version of its PEEK filament for FFF technology in test quality. The test material has exactly the same processing and mechanical product properties as the implant material – but without the documentation required for approval in applications for medical devices.

This offers a cost-effective way of adapting the processing properties of the high-performance plastic for printing processes. The natural colored filament with a diameter of 1.75 mm is wound on 500 gram spools, which are suitable for direct use in standard FFF 3D printers for PEEK materials. In the first quarter of 2019, the test quality will be followed by an implant grade of Vestakeep i4 G, which can be provided with the required extensive approval documentation.

The development of the world’s first PEEK filament expands Evonik’s existing range of polymer materials for 3D printing. The specialty chemicals company is the world’s leading manufacturer of polyamide (PA) 12 powders, which have been used in additive production technologies for over 20 years. In addition to PEEK filament and PA 12 powders, the material portfolio also includes flexible PEBA powders.

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Implant-Grade PEEK Filament for 3D Printing Introduced by Evonik
17 Dec
Blog

Implant-Grade PEEK Filament for 3D Printing Launched by Evonik

In a world first, the material supplier Evonik announced today that it has launched a 3D printable implant polyetheretherketone (PEEK) filament for medical applications. The new material allows custom plastic implants to be 3D printed while meeting the requirements of ASTM F2026, the standard specification for PEEK polymers used in surgical implant applications.

The natural colored PEEK filament is wound on 250 or 500 gram spools, which are suitable for direct use in standard 3D printers for the production of melt filaments for PEEK materials. Image courtesy of Evonik.

The Vestakeep i4 3DF filament is based on the viscous, high-performance Vestakeep i4 G from Evonik. Biocompatible, biostable and radiolucent. The filament is manufactured under clean room conditions and is subject to strict quality management standards for medical materials.

The high-performance material was developed for FFF technology (Fused Filament Fabrication). The natural colored PEEK filament with a diameter of 1.75 mm is wound on 250 or 500 gram spools, which are suitable for direct use in standard FFF 3D printers for PEEK materials.

“For modern medical technology, the development of our first 3D printable implant material opens up new possibilities for adapting patient treatments,” said Marc Knebel, Head of the Medical Devices and Systems Market Segment at Evonik. “Orthopedics and maxillofacial surgery are examples of areas where this could be applied.”

Evonik also offers a test version of its PEEK filament, which has the same properties as the implant quality, but does not have the documentation required for approval in medical technology applications. According to Evonik, this offers a cost-effective way of adapting the processing properties of the high-performance plastic to a specific 3D printer.

Evonik offers an extensive portfolio of GMP-quality biomaterials for 3D printing of parts of medical devices that are designed for temporary and permanent body contact. In addition to Vestakeep i4 3DF, the portfolio includes the Resomer line of bioresorbable filaments, powders and granules for implantable medical devices.

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