News Asia
New Technique Makes Artificial Bones More Natural
A new technique for producing artificial bone implants has been developed by Korean researchers. Published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Material (STAM), the technique combines two methods to approximate both types of bone tissue. By mimicking natural bone, it is hoped the implant material will better complement the natural regeneration process. Most previous studies have focussed on producing cancellous bone, which has a spongy, honeycombed structure. However, artificial bones for practical applications must also imitate cortical bone, the hard, strong tissue found on the outer layers of bone.
Cortical bone is less porous than cancellous bone, but contains canals through which the nutrients for bone formation flow. By developing a process to imitate this canal structure, the researchers made significant advances in the fabrication of artificial bones. Bundles of polymer-based biomaterials* were wrapped around 0.3mm diameter steel wires by the method of “electrospinning”, whereby fine fibres of material are drawn out by electric charge.
These bundles were used to cover a scaffold of cancellous bone structure, made by the standard “sponge replica method” out of zirconia (ZrO2) and biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP). Removal of the steel wires resulted in interconnected structures mimicking small human bones. The resulting structure had a high strength and a porosity of approximately 70%—similar to natural bone. Tests confirmed the artificial bone structure had a high degree of biocompatibility which is critical for real-world applications. However, more research is needed to evaluate the biological properties of this material both in vitro and in vivo. The rapid ageing of the population makes bone loss and fracture a major worldwide problem and stimulates bone regeneration research.
Procedure for the fabrication of artificial bone structures by combining sponge replica and electrospinning methods.
Biomimetic approaches to making artificial implants have attracted much attention, but the dependence of the healing process on interaction with the implant material requires close mimicry of the architecture of natural bone. This paper marks a significant advance in the development of materials and processing technology for the fabrication of artificial bone structures.
*HAp-loaded PMMA-PCL, or polymethylmethacrylate- polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite
Related information
[1] Yang-Hee Kim and Byong-Taek Lee, Novel approach to the fabrication of artificial small bone using a combination of sponge replica and electrospinning methods, Science and Technology of Advanced Materials 12 (2011) 035002.
[2] Soonchunhyang University, Republic of Korea {
http://home.sch.ac.kr/english/index.jsp}
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Litre Meter Extends Global Distribution Network to China
UK manufacturer and supplier of custom flowmeters, Litre Meter, has grown its global distribution capabilities by signing contracts with new distributors in China. Litre Meter is now able to supply its products directly through a network of new distributors including the Beijing Affiance Electric and Tech Company, Beijing Genju Science and Technology Development Company and Shanghai Pump-kin.
The new distributors will enable Litre Meter to supply custom flowmeter solutions directly into China and other new Asian markets. It will also be able to maintain its service levels in those markets because the new distributors will provide Litre Meter’s end users with a direct point of contact for parts and service.
Engineering and fabrication specialists Beijing Affiance will distribute Litre Meter positive displacement meters to its customers in China and Asia in a range of industry sectors including oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, metallurgical, electrical energy, food processing and manufacturing. Beijing Genju’s network covers major industrial centres in China.
The company supplies a range of flow and level instruments, valves, filters, flow meters and flow sensors. Pump-kin Machinery Co, based in Shanghai, also works in China and throughout the rest of Asia. Pump-kin supplies pumps and flowmeter products to industrial customers in a number of sectors including oil and gas, mining, power generation and manufacturing industries.
Litre Meter CEO Charles Wemyss said: “China is one of the largest and fastest growing industrial markets in the world.
“By increasing our global network of distributors and extending into China we are able to get closer to existing and potential customers alike to provide a more proactive service to grow our business in Asia.
Ametek Electronic Instrument Group Strengthens Commitment to Asian Market Korea
The Electronic Instruments Group (EIG) of Ametek, Inc, has strengthened its presence in China, Japan and elsewhere in Asia by adding to its sales and marketing efforts and opening new sales and service facilities across the region.
“In recent years, Asia has proved to be a dynamic, stable and permanent driving force for growth,” notes Volker Dreisbach, Vice President and China Country Manager for Ametek’s Electronic Instruments Group. “Despite the global economic crisis, which also has been felt in the huge Chinese market, we have continued investing in our businesses. Today, we are stronger than ever in Asia and plan to expand even further.”
In China, Ametek EIG represents 21 Ametek businesses that cover a broad spectrum of process, analytical, measurement and calibration instruments. In 2010, Ametek had sales in China of more than $150 million. EIG accounted for more than two-thirds of that and expects strong sales growth in 2011 as well.
To serve its growing Chinese customer base, Ametek Commercial Enterprises-Shanghai (ACES) maintains four sales, service and demonstration facilities across China.
In addition to a modern and recently expanded headquarters facility in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, that provides a full range of sales, training and support services, ACES operates sales and service facilities in Guangzhou, Chengdu and Beijing to provide local support to Ametek customers in those regions. Among Ametek’s Chinese customers are many leading companies in such industries as metals processing, energy production, automotive and electronics along with such new and
developing businesses as renewable energy, nuclear power, precision manufacturing and other high-technology fields that increasingly require the advanced process and analytical instruments offered by Ametek. Japan also is an important and growing Asian market for Ametek EIG. Although Japan was hit hard by the global economic crisis and more recently by an earthquake and tsunami along its northeast coast, Ametek is optimistic about future growth opportunities in Japan. This past spring, Ametek EIG combined the activities of its Japanese subsidiaries and relocated its Tokyo headquarters. The new Tokyo facility features a modern instrument demonstration laboratory as well as a large sales, service and parts department. The Group also operates a subsidiary office in Osaka.
Earlier this year,
Ametek partnered with SII Nano Technology, a well-established leader in Japan’s growing spectroscopic instruments market.
The partnership combines SII Nano Technology’s unsurpassed knowledge of the Japanese high-technology instruments market with Ametek’s best-in-class technology and industry-leading sales and service support. “We are optimistic regarding the outlook for the Japanese instruments market,” notes Andreas Eerden, who previously had been Sales Manager for Ametek X-ray fluorescence instruments in the Asia-Pacific region and now is Director of Sales and Service for Spectro Analytical Instruments (an Ametek subsidiary) in Japan. “Japan is a complex market, but with our alliance with SII NanoTechnology and the consequent gathering of our local resources, we have successfully set our course. We expect the market to recover in the second half of 2011 and for that growth to continue.”
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“It is difficult to service these growing markets from a UK base, so it made perfect economic sense to seek partnerships with businesses in China similar to our existing distributors elsewhere in the world.”
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TeraView Expands Customer Base in Korea
TeraView, a leader in Terahertz solutions and technology, has secured a key order from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in Korea. GIST is one of the country’s most prestigious research institutes, ranking first in the number of publication per staff in recent surveys.
TeraView will supply its TPS spectra 3000 system to GIST for terahertz research and materials characterisation. The sale adds to TeraView’s growing installed base in the Korea, and helps strengthen its position in the growing Asian market.
Dr Don Arnone, TeraView’s CEO, stated “Yet another sale of the TPS spectra 3000 in Korea adds to the growing list of prestigious customers for this product in the region.
This sale is also of wider strategic benefit as Korea increasingly serves as a technology leader for the Asia-Pacific region. When combined with other orders and our strong pipeline this order has helped to give us a great start to our new financial year”
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