Implants play a key role in supporting bones until they heal. Today’s metallic devices typically remain in the body for the rest of the patient’s life or require additional surgery for removal. By contrast, devices made with Evonik’s new composites will be absorbed by the body gradually once the bone healing process has taken place.

These materials consist of polymers and of substances that naturally occur in bones. Evonik’s research is still in its early stages – however, the possible benefits for patients are already clear. Patients will no longer need to undergo additional surgical procedures to remove the implanted devices. Specific device designs may also help bones regenerate faster.

The project is one of a number currently being conducted at the Medical Devices Project House in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, which employs a team of more than 20 experts. Its mission is to develop new medical technology solutions and materials, with a particular emphasis on implants.

The long-term goal for the research is regenerative medicine, and look to create bioabsorbable implants to replace damaged tissues with healthy tissues. Their current work on biodegradable composites is a first step in this direction.

The post Could Biodegradable Composites Be Used to Fix Bone Fractures appeared first on Composites Today.

The aim of the newly established enterprise is to mass-produce fibre-reinforced composite components for the automotive and aviation industries. Evonik supports the new company with its materials development expertise while SECAR will bring expert capabilities in mass producing lightweight parts, this creates unique potential for developing new production technologies.

The joint venture will be headquartered in Hönigsberg. Evonik and SECAR manage the company jointly, with Evonik owning 49 percent of the shares and SECAR 51 percent. Dr. Arnim Kraatz of Evonik Industries AG and Karl Heinz Semlitsch of SECAR Technologie GmbH are the company’s managing directors.

Gregor Hetzke, president of Evonik’s Performance Polymers Business Unit said;

For years now, our products have supported efforts within the automotive and aviation industries to move toward lightweight construction, and LiteCon is the next step in our partnership with those industries, LiteCon unites our polymer expertise with SECAR’s prowess in composite development and manufacturing, so that our customers can use these synergies to their greatest possible advantage.

[rssless]

[connections id=’256′]
[/rssless]

The post Evonik and Secar Team up to Create new Composites Joint Venture appeared first on Composites Today.

Among the topics addressed will be automotive and aviation applications and applications in the domain of renewable energies. Having established the Composites Project House, the specialty chemicals company is intensifying its strategic research for resource-efficient, sustainable solutions, particularly in the field of mobility.

Dr. Dahai Yu, Evonik’s Executive Board member responsible for the Specialty Materials segment said;

Our aim in setting up the Composites Project House is to expand our expertise in the field of composites. Innovative composites will make it possible to improve resource efficiency significantly at the same time.

In some market sectors, the composites market is growing by a double-digit percentage. Evonik has been offering composites for specific applications in the lightweight construction industry for some time now: Rohacell as a structural foam in fibre-reinforced composite parts, Vestamin as the hardener component for duroplastic matrix systems, and Vestakeep as a matrix for thermoplastic composites.

The issues being worked on at the project house are current and future customer requirements such as rapid, profitable processability of the composites. Evonik wants to develop materials that can be processed as quickly as thermoplastics but that are ultimately similar to duroplastic composites which have a high level of mechanical stability and do not deform under pressure.

In the project houses run by Creavis, Evonik’s strategic research and development unit, experts from several operating units and external experts work together on issues that will expand Evonik’s product and technology portfolio and drive forward research until it is ready for use. The research findings are then commercialized by Evonik’s operating units or an internal start-up.

[rssless]

[connections id=’256′]
[/rssless]

The post Evonik Launch new Composites Project House appeared first on Composites Today.