Custom Labview Coding
LabView, made by National Instruments, is a versatile programming language that has good application for laboratory equipment automation, motion control, image collection, and data analysis. Engineers and scientists at Cambridge Polymer Group routinely use LabView in their design of custom analytical instruments to characterize materials. The LabView code allows the users to set up the […]
Are My Polymers Branched?
Polymers can be classified as linear or branched. Branched polymers contain chains hanging off the backbone of the polymer, which could include a single side chain or multiple side chains. Linear polymers do not have branches. Branching can strongly influence the processing behavior and ultimate properties of a polymer. In the melt state, branching will […]
Updates From May 2013 ASTM Meeting
The Spring ASTM meeting of F04 (Biomedical Materials and Devices) met in Indianapolis, IN this week. Some key highlights of the meeting are as follows: Cleanliness of Biomedical Devices The standard for shipping of potentially infectious tissues and devices was approved, and is now available as ASTM F2995-13. ASTM F561 (Device retrieval) will be amended […]
Metal on Metal Hip Implants
J&J Depuy, maker of the Ultamet Metal-on-Metal acetabular hip system, has announced that they will no longer market this and related metal-on-metal products after August 31st. Since around 2007, the use of metal-on-metal has been in steady decline due to concerns about metal ion release and its possible association with pseuodo tumour formation in some […]
MIT Polymer Day
MIT held its annual MIT Polymer Day in March. Cambridge Polymer Group was a sponsor, and also supplied two judges for the poster contest, where students and post-doctoral research fellows presented their work on polymer technology. Link to PPST
Crystallinity in Peek
Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is finding its way into more and more medical devices, due to its high strength, resistance to oxidation, bioinertness, and ease of manufacturing. PEEK is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic, and the crystallinity is strongly dependant on the processing conditions used to form a PEEK component, such as molding and cooling temperatures, sample […]
Polymers and Plastics in Medical Devices
Cambridge Polymer Group researcher Gavin Braithwaite will be presenting his work on hydrogels used in medical devices at the upcoming Polymers and Plastics in Medical Devices conference held in San Francisco, CA from June 26-28th, 2013. Dr. Braithwaite’s work discusses injectable hydrogels for nucleus pulposus and tissue augmentation, as well as cartilage replacement technologies. Link […]
HFIP Quantification
Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), also known as hexafluoro-2-propanol, is a fluorinated alcohol commonly used in processing of polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitriles, some polyketones, and polyamides. It is a fairly toxic material, causing several eye damage and respiratory problems. Consequently, manufacturers who use HFIP need to measure how much residual HFIP remains in their processed goods, particularly if the […]
A Peek at Peek
On September 25-26, 2013, an international symposium on polyetherether ketone (PEEK) will be held at Drexel University. PEEK is finding increasing use in the biomedical community, particularly in the area of permanent implants. Spinal implants have been composed of PEEK for several years, finding use as stabilization rods, spacers, and articulating surfaces. Characterization of PEEK […]
Fatigue Crack Propagation
Fatigue crack propagation (FCP) analysis is a method to monitor the resistance of a material to crack inception and propagation under cyclical loading. ASTM E647 describes the methodology for measuring crack propagation in materials. An example of the typical data obtained in FCP analysis is shown above for GUR 1020 UHMWPE subjected to ionizing radiation […]