Mountain View, California – Innovations will surge in the protective coatings industry by 2020, giving rise to a range of improved biocompatible and durable coatings that enable implant devices for use in orthopedic, orthodontic, and cardiac applications. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) are creating new standards for upcoming industry trends in protective coatings, further encouraging patent developments.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Innovations in Protective Coatings for Medical Devices, finds that increasing biocompatibility is a major driver for implant coatings. Successful implant coatings enhance biocompatibility and promote healing processes by minimizing tissue rejection and better anchoring implants to the targeted area.

Passivation – accomplished by coating implant material with polymer layers – is an upcoming area of research in coatings for biomedical applications. Passivation techniques have been successfully used in development of coatings and biomaterials to manufacture the most biocompatible implants.

"This is particularly important in cases of load-bearing implants with need for mechanical strength," said Technical Insights Research Analyst Sanchari Chatterjee. "Developing specialized coatings and techniques that prevent aggressive cell growth and aid the production of desirable endothelial cells rather than smooth muscle cells will also be crucial."

However, protective coatings require sophisticated raw materials that incur high costs. For instance, low availability of titanium, coupled with demand from industries such as aerospace, industrial, and recreation make it an expensive resource.

Developing novel coating materials has been a trend in the industry for the last two years. For example, use of spider silk, which is hypoallergenic, biodegradable and usable as coating for implants or as a drug carrier in pharmaceutics, is being researched as a coating for silicone implants.

In the meantime, combination products such as therapeutic coatings of different materials are creating a stir in the industry. Coatings that use solutions as surface treatments too are gaining momentum. For instance, bone implant surfaces enriched with biomolecules can accelerate the bone healing process.

"Research institutes have joined forces with industry players to evaluate a wide variety of biomolecules such as growth factors, bioactive proteins, enzymes and non-viral genes," added Technical Insights Research Analyst Vivek Ninkileri. "As is evident, stakeholder initiatives, especially collaboration among research institutes, academia, and medical device manufacturers will play a major role in the advancement of protective coating technologies."

Innovations in Protective Coatings for Medical Devices, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, analyses key innovations in protective coatings for medical devices to distinguish the chief developments and challenges in the market. Opportunity strategy evaluation, technology roadmap, impact analysis, and R&D development strategies are also discussed. Further, this study includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Source: Frost & Sullivan

Florence, Kentucky– Japan-based Yamazaki Mazak Corp. and its global subsidiaries – leaders in the manufacture of highly productive machine tools, CNC technology and automation solutions – recently launched a new global online initiative comprised of fully responsive, multi-language websites to effectively support its metalworking customers around the world. These new websites are easily accessible via a unified global landing page at www.Mazak.com. 

Visitors to www.Mazak.com can view the content in 10 languages – English, Japanese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, French, German and Italian – and find the regional site that best serves their locations in two mouse clicks. 

As part of the global online initiative, 18 new regional sites offer Mazak’s product, technology, support and company information in 17 languages. While these sites share the same look, features, functionality and rich content, each one has customized content to meet the specific needs of the customers in the global region it serves. 

“Mazak understands the changing landscape of the industry and recognizes the need to provide new and forward-thinking resources and tools via the web,” says Brian Papke, president of Mazak Corporation. “Today’s manufacturers are smarter, more agile and extremely discerning buyers, with ever more challenging applications - they need more and more information at their fingertips. Mazak’s new network of sites gives them the resources they need to make good decisions with the click of a mouse."

New features available on these regional sites include but are not limited to unique comparative analysis tools that can optimize massive amounts of product and specification information. This results in manufacturers being able to easily evaluate and make decisions about the best machine for their specific needs. 

New sharing tools allow users to easily interact in social media environments, watch videos as well as share information via email. News, videos, webinars and downloads are available on-demand. These regional sites also feature a powerful new search tool that comprehensively scans content and categorizes results into three categories, making it easy for users to locate and identify information of interest to them. 

Mazak is the first machine tool builder to launch fully responsive websites on this scale. This flexible and adaptive form of web design allows for an optimal viewing experience, easy navigation and quick product searches across a wide range of devices, whether users are accessing these websites via a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. 

Source: Mazak

Chicago – Make plans to attend the IMTS 2014 Conferences to learn about High-Efficiency Machining of Aluminum Aircraft Structural Components.

DATE: Tuesday, 9/11 from 1:13 to 2:34

DATE: Thursday, September 11 from 9:00 AM - 9:55 AM   ROOM: W-192C

SPEAKER: Antony Theaker, North West Area Manager (UK), SGS Tool UK Ltd

One of the most significant barriers to the implementation of High Efficiency Machining is the design and performance limitations of the cutting tool. The speed at which it can remove material over an acceptable lifespan is effectively holding back the entire civil and defense aerospace industries, where efficiency gains are necessary to maintain and increase market share against aggressive global competition.

Taking the development of a Patented advanced, high performance cutting tool design to the next level through comprehensive empirical research and testing, has resulted in a range of cutting tools specifically targeted at High Efficiency Machining. Correctly applied these tools are capable of reducing machining cycle times by over 50%, removing up to 800% more material, improving tool life by over 300% and reducing energy consumption by over 25%.

The educational and informative conferences run Sept. 8-11, 2014 in the West Building, Level 1. To register for this or any session, visit www.imts.com/education/imtsconference.html.

Source: IMTS

Chicago – Make plans to attend the IMTS 2014 Conferences to learn about Development of the Aerospace Supply Chain.

DATE: Thursday, September 11 from 3:15 PM - 4:10 PM   ROOM: W-195

SPEAKER: Matthieu Guillon, Global Segment Manager-Aerospace and Defense, Kennametal Inc.

While aerospace is synonym with technical innovation, this exciting industry is growing at the pace of ambitious financial expectations: growth forecasts and billion dollars orders have become daily media news, but cost of ownership and business sustainability are driving the manufacturing choices. 

Recognizing where to participate in this billion dollar industry and how, are critical next steps. 

The larger global demand for aircraft has moved the supply chain into a maturing situation where crisis and consolidations are building the advanced and efficient aircraft supply chain of tomorrow. 

In this session, you will discover how to assess the attractive growth of aerospace, and how – more than ever – strategic planning and focus are key for a successful manufacturing business.

The educational and informative conferences run Sept. 8-11, 2014 in the West Building, Level 1. To register for this or any session, visit www.imts.com/education/imtsconference.html.

Source: IMTS