FIGURE 3: Representative zeta potential
behaviour recorded for a three ceramic powder
employed in medical applications (lines
represent polynomial best fit curves).
60
Zeta potential (mV)
40
20
0
0
- 20
- 40
- 60
-80
2
4
6
8 10 12
Zirconia
Alumina
Calcium phosphate
pH
to create 3D dental or implant structures
that are sintered. As an aside, ink jet printing could also be used to deliver drugs,
polymeric equivalents of soft tissues or
stem cells within scaffold structures, thus
providing a route to co-fabrication of
the organic and inorganic components
required in the human body.
■ Casting of high solids content
suspensions into nonporous moulds; direct
consolidation casting is the generic name
given to the process whereby a pourable
slurry can be converted into a solid without
de-watering; optimised packing of particles
via particle size distribution control helps
ensure a near net shape after drying/
sintering; this could have applications in
the dental field where the ability to maintain near net shape avoids the need for
predicting shape contraction on drying/
sintering.
■ Granulate optimisation associated with
thermal or plasma spraying of ceramic
coatings on metal implants, or of titania
coatings as antibacterial components on
metallic objects used in hospitals.
Longevity is today’s requirement
Increased human lifespan and a demand
for associated mobility and quality of life
mean that there are huge pressures to create
bespoke products with enhanced longev-
ity. It can be seen that, because powder
preparation and processing with powder
suspensions represents the early stages
of production, understanding and then
optimising important variables will have
a huge impact on yields and the ability to
consistently deliver the enhanced in-service
performance that is demanded.
Phil Jackson, PhD,
is Business Development Manager, Medical
Devices, at CERAM
Queens Road, Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
tel. + 44 1782 764 444
e-mail: phil.jackson@ceram.com
www.ceram.com/medical
Overview of our Products and Services
Our Adhesives
• Solvent, Water or Rubber Based
• Pressure Sensitive or Heat Activated
• Single or Double Sided
• Adhesives Coated at a Thickness of your choice
Our Films and Coatings
• Full Polymeric Range of Films
• Bespoke Tape Thicknesses (±3;m)
• Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic
• Pilot Coating Facility
Our Conversion
• Precision die or laser cut parts
• Highly Accurate Multi Layer Constructions
• Punched Sheets / Substrate
• UV & Waterbased Logo Printing
• Clean Room Conversion
• Rapid Prototyping
• Contact Angle Measuring Service
2a Canalside, Northbridge Road, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 1EG
Tel: + 44 (0)1442 870935 Fax: + 44 (0)1442 876066
www.tapespec.com
Looking for a bespoke
tape or adhesive?
Tape Specialities Ltd are experienced providers of tapes and
adhesives to the medical and medical diagnostic industries.
Our products and services will support your project through
initial development,
validation batches, FDA
approval and into full
scale manufacture.
