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less aluminum oxide ceramic between vias when compared to traditional feedthrough insulators that require core rods to be extracted from the green body during pressing of aluminum oxide-pressed ceramics. Heraeus introduced a similarconcept feedthrough late last year, the CerMet. Integer says its technology is different in a couple of ways. For example, Integer claims its platinum conductor is of the same purity or higher when compared with the standard platinum in use for pin feedthroughs by other manufacturers. This is meant to ensure the same or better electrical performance and attachment by soldering, welding or wire bonding as the present feedthrough technology. Integer’s technology also demonstrates perfect alignment layer-to-layer, yielding very consistent conductor diameter control, the company added. “We’ve gone from tens of channels to hundreds if not thousands of channels with this technology,” Seitz said. The technology has potential uses in cochlear and retinal implants and for deep brain and spinal cord peripheral nerve stimulators, as well as for implantable cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers, Seitz said. It’s been under development for six years and is the subject of several patents. “Now we’re moving forward with specific customer shape and product development,” he said. “This new feedthrough technology is extremely exciting and is being deployed in a wide variety of med device applications.”
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| Image courtesy of Spectrum Plastics Group
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Spectrum Plastics Group and rapid prototyping for finished catheters A Spectrum Plastics Group company has refined a rapid-prototyping technology so it may be used for finished catheters. Vector+ allows customers to design a catheter component in any shape, and the company can produce it with the same speed and design of prototyping, according to Mike Schultz, vice president of operations for Spectrum’s Apollo Medical Extrusion, Sandy, Utah. “Currently, catheter components are either injection molded or 3D printed. This is a huge roadblock in designing catheters,” Schultz said. “With only a limited number of materials that can be 3D printed and product design being limited by what shapes can be injection molded, a lot of product design is constrained by what’s achievable.” Vector+ is fabricated from medical grade, USP Class VI and /or ISO 10993 certified materials and additives. It is thermally welded to the catheter, creating a seamless dimension that allows for a smooth, low profile, but high-strength transition, according to the company. Traditionally, such a process is limited to early prototyping through 3D printing. Vector+ makes it possible for the full-scale production of the component and catheter, leading to lower tooling costs and a fast track to manufacturing. By using the same materials for the catheter shaft and for the Vector+, customers reduce the numbers of materials in their device and thus reduce waste and material testing costs associated with catheter design and development. DW
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