No More Metal: Design Freedom and Bone-Like Strength with OsteoFab® PEKK

For decades, reconstructive surgery has relied on metal. Titanium and its alloys have been the default choice for cranio-maxillofacial and orthopaedic implants thanks to their strength and biocompatibility. But metal comes with limitations: stiffness that does not match bone, imaging artefacts, cold conductivity, and the ever-present risk of corrosion over time.

The emergence of OsteoFab® PEKK changes the conversation entirely. This next-generation polymer, manufactured through additive 3D printing, delivers bone-like mechanical performance without the drawbacks of metal. It offers surgeons true design freedom and long-term biological harmony — all in a material that behaves like bone rather than something the body must tolerate.

Design Freedom with 3D Printing

The arrival of additive manufacturing has given surgeons and engineers unprecedented control over implant design. OsteoFab® PEKK implants are not carved from stock material but created layer by layer from patient-specific digital data. Each structure is printed directly from CT or MRI scans, faithfully replicating anatomical geometry and restoring natural contours with micron-level accuracy.

This process allows design features that are simply impossible to achieve in metal. Lattice frameworks, graded porosity, and lightweight honeycomb cores can all be built directly into the implant. These internal architectures enable flexibility, weight reduction, and biological interaction in a single component.

Surgeons can now tailor implants to the exact needs of each case — from complex cranial defects and orbital reconstructions to large segmental repairs. Every curve, pore, and aperture serves a defined clinical purpose. Additive manufacturing with OsteoFab® PEKK removes the restrictions of traditional milling or bending, replacing them with true design freedom.

Moving Beyond the Limits of Metal

Metal implants have set the standard for durability but not for adaptability. They are dense, stiff, and unyielding. While titanium remains an exceptional material, it cannot replicate the biomechanical behaviour of bone. Stress shielding, temperature sensitivity, and radiological interference are all inherent limitations.

OsteoFab® PEKK eliminates these issues. It is a high-performance polymer within the PAEK family, engineered for strength, stability, and biocompatibility. Its modulus of elasticity is close to that of cortical bone, enabling natural load transfer and reducing the risk of stress shielding. Unlike metal, it does not corrode, does not produce imaging scatter, and can be customised for every patient’s anatomy.

By moving beyond metal, reconstructive surgery gains something greater: a material that integrates mechanically, biologically, and radiographically with the body’s own structure.

Layer-by-Layer Engineering

The precision of additive manufacturing underpins the success of OsteoFab® PEKK. Each implant is built layer by layer, allowing exact control over density, internal geometry, and surface texture. This method produces components with consistent mechanical properties and reproducible performance.

Engineers can design areas of differing stiffness within a single implant, reinforcing where strength is required and introducing controlled porosity where tissue integration is needed. The result is a material that can simultaneously support load, encourage bone ongrowth, and maintain anatomical form.

This structural control is not theoretical — it translates into surgical precision. OsteoFab® PEKK implants arrive ready to fit, saving valuable time in theatre. Surgeons can still make fine adjustments intraoperatively with standard tools, reshaping or drilling as needed without cracking or delamination.

The ability to refine an implant in real time provides a level of flexibility previously impossible with metal. It restores control to the surgeon’s hands while maintaining the digital precision of additive design.

Bone-Like Strength Without Corrosion

Mechanical performance is only meaningful if it lasts. OsteoFab® PEKK maintains long-term strength and dimensional stability under physiological conditions. Its fatigue resistance, impact absorption, and resilience are well documented. The polymer’s molecular backbone is inherently resistant to hydrolysis, oxidation, and corrosion, ensuring performance that does not degrade over time.

By comparison, metal implants, though strong, are subject to corrosion, ion release, and cold sensitivity. These factors can influence both patient comfort and long-term biocompatibility. OsteoFab® PEKK’s chemical stability eliminates these risks entirely, offering a biologically inert solution that remains consistent throughout the patient’s life.

From a biomechanical perspective, OsteoFab® PEKK behaves like natural bone. Its stiffness and elasticity encourage natural load sharing and physiological bone maintenance. This means that bone continues to remodel normally around the implant, preserving long-term stability and preventing the resorption often seen when rigid metals dominate the load path.

Imaging Clarity and Surgical Confidence

Radiolucency is another defining advantage. OsteoFab® PEKK allows clear visualisation of surrounding tissue on X-ray, CT, or MRI. Surgeons can monitor healing, integration, and alignment without the artefacts caused by metal.

Intraoperatively, this clarity enables precise navigation and planning. Postoperatively, it simplifies assessment and follow-up imaging, giving clinicians a more accurate understanding of bone regeneration and long-term stability.

For complex craniofacial or spinal reconstructions, this is transformative. Surgeons gain both confidence in the immediate fit and insight into long-term outcomes.

Engineering for Biological Harmony

Although OsteoFab® PEKK is non-resorbable, its surface structure can be designed to promote integration with surrounding tissue. The additive manufacturing process allows the creation of micro-roughened or porous regions that encourage fibroblast and osteoblast attachment.

These surface features transform the implant from a passive mechanical support into an active participant in the healing process. Soft tissue anchors securely to the polymer, while bone gradually integrates into the designed lattice regions. The absence of metallic ions or temperature conduction ensures biological compatibility even in delicate anatomical sites.

From Digital Design to Theatre

The workflow for OsteoFab® PEKK begins with patient imaging. Engineers and surgeons collaborate using 3D data to plan the reconstruction, define fixation points, and visualise the final aesthetic and functional outcome.

Once approved, the digital model is converted directly into an implant. There is no tooling, no manual shaping, and no material waste. Each component is sterilised, validated, and delivered as a bespoke device.

In theatre, surgeons can fix the implant with standard screws, plates, or sutures. If small adjustments are needed, PEKK can be modified quickly and safely without compromising strength. This combination of digital precision and intraoperative flexibility defines OsteoFab® PEKK as the ideal partner for modern reconstructive surgery.

Long-Term Biomechanics, Proven Stability

Over time, the success of any implant depends on how it behaves under physiological load. OsteoFab® PEKK has demonstrated long-term stability in vivo, maintaining mechanical strength without creep, deformation, or surface degradation. Its low density reduces the overall weight of craniofacial reconstructions while preserving strength comparable to cortical bone.

The polymer’s resistance to fatigue and chemical breakdown makes it particularly suited for long-term implantation. It remains structurally stable in the presence of bodily fluids, temperature fluctuations, and mechanical stress, maintaining its shape and strength over decades.

By behaving mechanically like bone and chemically like an inert polymer, OsteoFab® PEKK offers a long-term alternative that meets both surgical and biological demands.

Redefining Reconstruction

The phrase “no more metal” is not about rejection but evolution. OsteoFab® PEKK represents the natural progression of implant design — lighter, stronger, more intelligent, and completely tailored to the patient.

By removing the limitations of traditional materials, surgeons gain the freedom to focus entirely on clinical outcomes rather than mechanical constraints. Every stage, from design to surgery to recovery, benefits from precision, predictability, and performance.

Conclusion

OsteoFab® PEKK redefines what is possible in reconstructive surgery. Its combination of additive design freedom, bone-like mechanical properties, and long-term stability makes it a true metal-free alternative that enhances both surgical control and patient outcomes.

It is not simply a replacement for titanium or PEEK; it is the next generation of biomaterial design — one that aligns with the body, adapts to the surgeon, and endures with time.

With OsteoFab® PEKK, the era of compromise between strength and biology is over. The future of reconstruction is lighter, smarter, and metal-free.