The Makrolon Rx1851 material provides biocompatibility and strength for OrthoSensor's Knee Balancer, which gives surgeons real-time feedback on soft tissue balancing during total knee replacement procedures. (Source: Bayer MaterialScience)
One big area of concern with medical plastics is chemical compatibility and chemical resistance. Because equipment is constantly being wiped down with harsh chemicals in order to clean and sterilize, resistance to chemicals is a prime concern when designing medical equipment. It would be interesting to see if this polymer has any additional resistance properties over their previous product offerings.
Naperlou, the flame retardant quality was attributed to plastics to be used in diagnostic imaging equipment. Such equipment is very expensive; hospitals do not want said equipment damaged when their patients spontaneously combust.
I agree, it seems odd to be pushing that quality when so much other non-flame-retardant plastic is all around a hospital.
I agree with Nadine about the benefits of plastic in implants. There are some well publicized legal cases ongoing about metal-to-metal degradation problems in hip implants that have brought some of these issues to light.
Plastics have been more beneficial in medical implants than metal. Younger people (under 50) are getting hip and knee replacements and living with them longer. Over time, some metal hip replacements have lead to metallosis. Metal shavings get into the blood stream and damage soft tissue.
Can the OrthoSensor be used to qualify progress in physical therapy? That information can help therapists customize routines that much more effective for recovery.
Lou, plastic is already used widely in medical applications, both inside the body and in a lot of medical equipment and tools. Flame retardancy became a big deal in medical-grade plastics some years ago, especially as more plastics were used in hospital environments, an environment where this characteristic is extremely important. The topic has become not whether a plastic should be flame retardant but what type should be used: for example, whether the flame retardant material is environmentally hazardous and/or bioaccumulates in organisms such as humans after continued exposure.
Is this step toward the massive use of plastics in medicine? I do wonder why the flame retardant plastic is used, or is a desirable property. I guess it is desirable in general, but why in this application?
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
4 
