Tecvac biomedical coatings with antimicrobial properties

Tecvac's medical coatings use 'biologically inert' ultra hard materials, such as titanium nitride, and other bio-compatibles and anti-microbials such as pure gold, silver and copper, to coat implants, medical instruments, probes and accessories. These coatings reduce friction and wear, extend device lifetimes and achieve high levels of biocompatibility with excellent anti-microbial properties.

PVD coatings & thin films, for orthopaedics and cardiology

Tecvac's Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) processes allow metals and organic compounds, to be applied to metal, ceramic and polymeric substrates. Molecular scale changes can be made to plastics and other materials using low temperature plasma techniques. These services and technologies support medical applications in orthopaedics, cardiology and other medical sectors including knee, hip, other orthopaedic and cardiac implants and medical equipment.

Plasma modification of plastics
Tecvac has recently developed a set of new, low temperature plasma processing technologies that allow plastic surfaces to be sterilised, coated or modified to the highest clinical standards to ensure biocompatible solutions.

Analytical and metallurgical services
Tecvac offers a full range of metallurgical and analytical services, supported by the latest heat treatment techniques with controlled environments and advanced cleaning systems to ensure that any implants, probes or core materials used for components or instruments can be coated to the best performance standards.

Substantial clinical history
Tecvac's coating skills have been applied to stents, catheters, laryngeal implants, surgical instruments, pumps, valves and other body fluid management devices, optical & dental devices. These coatings improve performance, aid surgeons and reduce trauma in operations and contribute to better patient outcomes by extending implant life and minimising infection rates. Tecvac's flexible, low friction titanium nitride coatings replicate the smoothest mirror finish and have been specified in knee, hip and other articulation surfaces within orthopaedic applications for very long periods, with complete clinical histories.

Project BERTI; (Biomedical implant with Exceptional Resistance to Tribo-bio-corrosion and with Inherent antimicrobial properties) is expected to lead to new designs of knee and hip implants and substantially reduce the number of costly revision surgeries for hip and knee replacement patients. Partners in the project include Corin Plc, Tecvac Ltd, Imperial College, University of London, Charing Cross Hospitals, Queen Mary College, University of London and the University of Sheffield.
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£500,000 EPSRC project at the University of Sheffield
Tecvac Ltd has designed and built a unique, world class surface engineering research machine for The University of Sheffield as part of a £500,000 EPSRC project.

Specifically designed for the Research Centre in Surface Engineering, led by Professor Allan Matthews (in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering) the new Tecvac IP70 machine uniquely combines two different Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating technologies in a single production scale vacuum chamber.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), it will be used both for fundamental research and for near-market applications in surface engineering, covering a range of ceramics, nano composite and glassy-metal plasma-based coatings - combined with a duplex substrate diffusion pre-treatment capability.
This will open up routes to new thin film and nano-scale processes which can support innovative medical and life science applications including tissue engineering.
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