Medical Devices

e-Xstream offers the biomedical industry the technology and industry expertise they need to reduce the cost and time needed to develop innovative and higher quality products

Predict the manufactured material performances when designing Medical Devices that take advantage of reinforced plastics.

Spinal injury and the gradual deterioration of spinal discs that lead to back pain or spinal disorders can be treated surgically. One of the most promising surgical options under continuous development is the use of artificial discs to replace the patient’s natural spinal disc. The materials used in these artificial discs are an important factor in the development of this technology. However, the main challenge is to predict the manufactured material performances when designing medical devices that take advantage of reinforced plastics.

Solution

Digimat is used across the biomedical industry for applications like orthopedic spinal implant devices as a predictive software platform aimed at modeling the behavior of different types of composite systems such as Short Fiber Reinforced Plastics and Continuous Fiber Laminates.

Orthopedics manufacturers use Digimat for:

  • Optimizing the production process and mechanical performance of the implants medical devices
  • Reducing the production cycle of composite parts by providing a direct link between process and performance.
Benefits

The attention to material details result in more accurate simulations that reduce test/analysis iterations and improve performance predictions. With isotropic simulation the implant’s stiffness is over-predicted, while the same simulation using a Digimat material model that accounted for both changes in fiber orientations as well as plastic deformations match the test results almost perfectly. Furthermore, with Digimat, time and cost will be reduced while the performance prediction will be improved.

Simulations allow both optimization of production process and mechanical efficiency of medical devices. (They) will reduce the development process for range extension already planned."
-Thomas Mosnier, R&D Manager, Medicrea
Digimat is strongly coupled to:
  • Major nonlinear FEA software (Nastran, Marc, Abaqus, ANSYS, LS-DYNA, PAM-CRASH and SAMCEF)
  • Injection Molding software (Moldflow, SigmaSoft, Moldex3, REM3D)
Targeted Materials and Applications

Applications

  • Spinal implant devices
  • Knee replacement prosthesis
  • Hip replacement prosthesis
  • Shoulder replacement prosthesis
  • Elbow replacement prosthesis
  • Foot prosthesis
  • Ankle prosthesis
  • Above knee socket
  • Below knee socket
  • Socket reinforcement
  • Symes and knee disarticulation socket
  • Prosthesis for other bone fractures
Materials
  • Short fiber reinforced thermoplastics
  • Continuous fiber reinforced
  • Thermoset/thermoplastic laminates
  • Woven fabric composites
Targeted Performaces
  • Stiffness
  • Failure
  • Fatigue
  • Modal