Title: Lightweight Radiolucent Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites for Orthopedic Surgical and Medical Treatments

Authors: Joo H. Han, Travis Mease, Tony Young, Jennifer Cross, Pierre-Yves Lavertu, Nathan Han

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/c.24.0235

Abstract: " Carbon-fiber (CF) reinforced thermoplastic materials are increasing their market share for orthopedic surgical and medical applications to replace traditional metallic devices, instruments, and implants [1]. Primarily attributed to their exceptional material properties, CF reinforced thermoplastic products offer enhanced device functionality and performance. This includes improved part strength, resistance to chemicals and sterilization, and reduced weight. Additionally, the current trend in orthopedics involves favoring single-use instruments over reuseable ones subjected to numerous sterilization cycles [1,5]. This might prompt the industry to opt for CF reinforced thermoplastic materials, potentially resulting in cost reduction. Medical components made from CF reinforced poly-ether-ether-ketone (CF-PEEK) composite materials have high-strength, lightweight, corrosion and chemical resistance, bio-compatibility, and radiolucency [2,3]. Green, Tweed & Co. (GT) spent the past 20 years developing injection molded CF-PEEK thermoplastic composite components that provide an ideal solution for high-performance metal replacement for medical applications. However, development of CF-PEEK composite components with competitive structural performance and tight dimensional requirements is a challenging task because CF-PEEK composite part performance and quality are significantly influenced by manufacturing procedures. Flow induced fiber orientation during molding process results in a variation of material properties throughout the part. Thermal, orientation and phase-change induced shrinkage and warpage influenced by molding cycle affect the dimensional accuracy and quality of the part. This paper illustrates how GT uses advanced design and simulation techniques to make precision molded composite products with injection molding process, allowing for high volume production, for surgical devices and fixtures. We conducted multi-scale modeling and analysis, incorporating process modeling, micromechanics-based multiscale material modeling, heat-treatment (annealing) simulation, along with additional structural analysis. This comprehensive simulation approach considers all processing effects when calculating final performance and dimensional quality, allowing for precise simulation and optimization of the design and fabrication of CF-PEEK composite surgical drill guide. "

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Conference: CAMX 2024 | San Diego CA

Publication Date: 2024/9/9

SKU: TP24-0000000235

Pages: 15

Price: $30.00