VICTREX® PEEK™ selected for dental sterilisation box with integrated special file retainers

KaVo company in Biberach, Germany, supplies medical installations, devices and laboratory equipment to dental care customers around the world. For a sterilisation box with integrated special files retainers – part of the company’s ENDOflash® root canal instrumentation system – KaVo selected a black grade of VICTREX® PEEK™ Polymer. Major requirements to be met by the material included resistance to multiple sterilisation as well as high mechanical properties and aesthetic appearance.

Root canal restoration is key to the success of endodontic treatment. Throughout the lengthy process, the dentist uses various files of different sizes. In the ENDOflash® system, these files are colour-ring coded, and the selected file is connected to a powered angular fitting of the instrument by means of a quick coupling feature. Unused files are kept in sleeves of the system, with the coloured ring of each file visible through a gap in its sleeve. This provides fastest possible file changes, by a simple push on a button, even while the motor is still turning. An essential safety function of the sterilisation box is to release a file from its retainer only if it has a working connection to the drive.

As experienced moulders of high-performance applications, ASG Spritzgußwerk GmbH in Northern Bavaria was also closely involved in the design of the box and file retainers in order to capitalise on the inherent benefits of the VICTREX® PEEK™ Polymer. The sterilisation box consists of a base plate with 18 file sleeves arranged in three rows and at a convenient angle for smooth and ergonomic handling. Each sleeve is closed by means of a stainless steel spring and spring retainer to keep the files in a protected environment.

The unit is completed by a stainless steel cover, and can be cleaned and sterilised without disassembly of its components. The design of the inclined sleeves required special attention by ASG to ensure the proper sizing of the undercuts needed for the spring retainers to rotate and lock in position. Each of these snapfits must provide adequate resilience both for removing the part from the core and for ensuring safe file retention in the event of insufficient file engagement to the angular fitting – even after 1,000 sterilisation cycles.

With a proven history of resisting multiple sterilisation and cleaning cycles with ease, and also due to its low creep at high strength, VICTREX® PEEK™ Polymer had a clear fit in KaVo’s ENDOflash® box and retainers. All components are moulded in a black material grade to address the aesthetic needs of the application, an important issue in virtually any medical environment.

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Helen Swarbrick
Victrex plc
Victrex Technology Centre
Hillhouse International
Thornton Cleveleys
Lancashire FY5 4QD
United Kingdom

Tel +44 1253 897700
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United Kingdom

+44 1253 897700

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