Extruder produces biodegradable compounds
January 21st 2010 11:23 pm By Web Development in India
Conmed Linvatec Biomaterials is using a Krauss-Maffei Berstorff Ultra Glide laboratory extruder to produce biodegradable compounds based on lactic acid.
The Finnish-based manufacturer of medical products opted for the extruder as it meets stringent requirements of this special field of industry.
For the production of implants used in the human body, such as screws, plates or pins applied for fixing bone fractures, for instance, cleanroom conditions are a definite must.
The Krauss-Maffei Berstorff extruder was designed in strict compliance with the Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP), an internationally accepted guideline for the validation of computer-assisted systems in the pharmaceutical industry.
The control system used for this application has to operate like a black box documenting all production steps involved.
Implants based on polylactide plastics fix the bones in position just like conventional implants offering at the same time the decisive advantage that they need not be removed in a second surgery after the fracture has healed.
As they are made of absorbable polymers, they enhance the fracture healing process so that the patient is relieved from pain within less time.
Krauss-Maffei Berstorff said that this extruder has been proven for producing PLA compounds.
The Ultra Torque model in the ZE series is characterised by high drive power for screw speeds of up to 1,200rev/min and high material output rates.
At the same time, the machine ensures rapid and careful processing, which is of particular importance with these compounds.
With the Ultra Glide version, the extruder screw is extracted within a minute from the processing section, which facilitates access to the screw and substantially reduces the cleaning time in the case of a recipe change.