SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., Nov. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oxford Performance Materials Inc. (OPM), a leading advanced materials and additive manufacturing (3D printing) company, today announced that its Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Adam Hacking, PhD, will deliver a Solution Showcase Presentation on OPM's OsteoFab® process as an advanced 3D printed platform for spinal reconstruction and patient-specific implants that support bone attachment at the North American Spine Society's Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Friday, November 14th at 12:00 PM.
OPM's unique OsteoFab® process combines laser sintering additive manufacturing technology and OPM's proprietary OXPEKK® powder formulation to print spinal, facial and cranial implants. OPM is a pioneer in personalized medicine, and in February 2013, OPM became the only company to receive FDA clearance to manufacture 3D printed polymeric implants utilizing its poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK) cranial devices. OPM received a second FDA clearance for its patient-specific facial implants in July 2014.
"Titanium has been a material of choice for skeletal devices due to its strength and proven ability to integrate with bone tissue. PEKK is a high performance thermopolymer with high strength, purity, radiolucency and a history of biocompatibility," said Hacking. "Recent advances have enabled the fabrication of PEKK devices by additive manufacturing (3D printing), a core OPM process referred to as OsteoFab® technology. An important characteristic of the OsteoFab process is a peak-and-pit like surface morphology that has been associated with improved peri-implant bone formation. In vivo studies show that OsteoFab devices support the attachment of bone tissue."
Hacking continued, "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bone attachment to a load bearing 3D printed polymer for long term implantation. Osseointegration of 3D printed polymeric implants for skeletal reconstruction provides an attractive new platform for developing the next generation of patient specific load bearing devices."
For more information about the NASS 2014 annual meeting, please visit: https://www.spine.org/AM/Pages/NASS2014.aspx.
This event is not part of the official program as planned by the NASS 2014 Annual Meeting Program Committee.
About Oxford Performance Materials, Inc.
Oxford Performance Materials (OPM) is a recognized leader in 3D printing and high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM™). OPM has developed a range of advanced materials technology focused on the high performance polymer, poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK). OPM is the first company to successfully apply additive manufacturing solutions to PEKK by utilizing the company's proprietary OXPEKK® formulation and delivers enterprise level, functional end-use products to the biomedical, aerospace and industrial markets. A pioneer in personalized medicine, OPM became the only company to receive FDA clearance to manufacture 3D printed patient-specific polymeric implants for its cranial prostheses line in February 2013, and its Biomedical division received a second 510(k) for its patient-specific facial implants in July 2014. OPM's Aerospace & Industrial division has been fulfilling critical development contracts for parts in a range of aircraft applications in commercial, defense, and space with its proprietary HPAM™ technology. For more information, please visit: http://www.oxfordpm.com/