SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., March 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (OPM), a leader in advanced materials science and high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM™), today announced that it has received a Notice of Decision to Grant a Patent from the European Patent Office (EPO) for OPM’s invention on a "Customized Implant for Bone Replacement”, which leverages its OsteoFab® implant manufacturing process, originally filed on December 5, 2011. The patent, which took effect on December 21, 2016, will be valid until August 7, 2029, and enables OPM to apply its high performance additive manufacturing process to 3D print customized implants for bone replacement.
This fundamental patent protects OPM’s novel OsteoFab® process for manufacturing a three-dimensional object from poly-ether-ketone-ketone ("PEKK") powders through selective laser sintering (SLS). OPM utilizes the OsteoFab® process, which combines 3D printing with a unique material chemistry, to print orthopedic and neurological implants that possess unique and beneficial attributes, including radiolucency, bone-like mechanical properties, and a distinctive “peak-and-pit like” surface topography.
“This patent from the EPO is an important milestone for OPM as it allows us to further expand into Europe with validated process technology that enables the 3D printing of fully functional, patient-specific parts for biomedical applications,” said Severine Zygmont, President of OPM Biomedical. “Our biomedical innovations are enabling improved surgical outcomes at a lower cost, causing the industry to rethink how surgical implants are designed and manufactured. We look forward to delivering improved personalized medicine to the European market.”
OPM Biomedical is a pioneer in personalized medicine, 3D printing OsteoFab® cranial and facial implants as an OEM, and its SpineFab® line on a contract manufacturing basis. OPM Biomedical is the first and only company to receive FDA 510(k) clearance to manufacture 3D printed patient-specific polymeric implants, and has a total of four 510(k) clearances in its portfolio.
About Oxford Performance Materials, Inc.
A recognized leader in advanced materials science, Oxford Performance Materials Inc. (OPM) was founded in 2000 to exploit and commercialize the world’s highest performing thermoplastics, with a focus on poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK). OPM develops proprietary material, process and application technologies and applies high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM™) to produce fully functional end-use structural parts. The Company has three strategic business units: OPM Materials develops proprietary OXPEKK® thermoplastic products and other materials for biomedical, aerospace and industrial applications. OPM Biomedical is a pioneer in personalized medicine, 3D printing OsteoFab® cranial and facial implants as an OEM, and its SpineFab® line on a contract manufacturing basis. OPM Biomedical is the first and only company to receive FDA 510(k) clearance to manufacture 3D printed patient-specific polymeric implants, and has a total of four 510(k) clearances in its portfolio. OPM Aerospace & Industrial produces 3D printed OXFAB® production parts for highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. OXFAB® structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions that are defined in a set of specified performance attributes in the exhaustive OPM B-Basis database, developed in conjunction with NASA. For more information, please visit: www.oxfordpm.com