APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING POROUS DEVICES

摘要

In general, in various embodiments, the present disclosure is directed systems and methods for producing a porous surface from a solid piece of polymer. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to systems that include a track assembly, mold assembly, press assembly, and methods for using the same for producing a porous surface from a solid piece of polymer. In some embodiments, the present systems and methods are directed to processing a polymer at a temperature below a melting point of the polymer to produce a solid piece of polymer with an integrated a porous surface.

主权项

1. A method for processing material, the method comprising:
providing a piece of thermoplastic for processing, the piece of thermoplastic comprising at least 50% PEEK by weight; pressing a surface of the piece of thermoplastic against a layer of porogen via a static weight; while the piece of thermoplastic is pressed against the layer of porogen, subjecting the piece of thermoplastic to at least one heat zone, wherein the at least one heat zone heats the piece of thermoplastic to a particular temperature for a particular time; further pressing the piece of thermoplastic against the layer of porogen via a press assembly such that at least a portion of the layer of porogen is displaced through a surface of the piece of thermoplastic to create a matrix layer of porogen and the piece of thermoplastic; and removing the porogen from the matrix layer of the piece of thermoplastic thereby creating a porous layer of the piece of thermoplastic.