SINTX Technologies, Inc. an advanced ceramics and biomaterials company, today announced that it has signed a supply agreement with Evonik Corporation (“EVONIK”), a global leader in high‑performance polymers, to manufacture the Company’s proprietary silicon nitride–PEEK compound (SiN/PEEK) (U.S. Patent No. 10,806,831) engineered for AI‑assisted additive manufacturing of patient‑specific implants that will be produced using equipment already in place at SINTX’s U.S.-based production facility.
Under the agreement, EVONIK will produce SiN/PEEK compound leveraging its commercial-scale capability to SINTX’s specifications, enabling the Company to immediately begin manufacturing AI‑designed, 3D‑printed, patient‑specific implants. SINTX has already received physician requests to provide humanitarian‑use vertebral body replacement (VBR) implants for orthopedic and neurosurgical oncology patients following tumor resections in the spine. In addition, the Company intends to use the SiN/PEEK compound to support regulatory clearances of patient matched and traditional subtractive manufactured implantable devices.
Eric K. Olson, Chairman, President & CEO of SINTX, said, “This agreement with EVONIK is another pivotal moment for SINTX and for the field of patient‑specific implants. By combining EVONIK’s industrial‑scale PEEK polymer manufacturing expertise with SINTX’s silicon nitride biomaterial manufacturing capabilities, we can deliver next‑generation implants that address critical needs in trauma, spine, oncology, and beyond. We believe SiN/PEEK offers compelling advantages over standard PEEK, including antipathogenic surface characteristics, osteogenic potential, and improved visualization–features that matter in complex, high‑risk procedures.”
Marc Knebel, head of EVONIK’s Medical Devices & Systems market segment, said, “We are excited to support SINTX in bringing a high‑performance SiN/PEEK composite filament to market for additive and subtractive manufacturing of regulated medical devices. This is another example of enabling innovation that EVONIK has delivered to improve medical outcomes. Our collaboration is designed to provide consistent quality, supply reliability, and scalability–foundational elements for our continued broader collaboration and data generation to support future medical device market work.”
Why SiN/PEEK for Patient-Specific Implants
SINTX’s silicon nitride has been studied for its antipathogenic behavior and osteogenic properties, while PEEK composites are valued for radiolucency and mechanical tunability. The SiN/PEEK combination aims to deliver:
- Antipathogenic surface behavior to help reduce microbial adherence on implant
- Osteogenic support to promote bone on-growth and
- Improved visualization standard PEEK for intra-operative and post-operative imaging.
- Design freedom via AI-assisted, additive manufacturing for patient-specific
- Scalable, consistent filament to support high-mix, low-volume production typical of patient-specific
With today’s supply agreement, the parties envision making SiN/PEEK compound available to other qualified manufacturers for complex implant indications where silicon nitride’s attributes may add clinical and economic value.
SINTX’s near‑term humanitarian efforts are focused on trauma and oncology indications for post‑tumor resection cases, where surgeons face challenging anatomy and infection risk, and where patient‑specific designs may facilitate better fit, fixation and overall clinical outcomes, stated Dr. Ryan Bock, SINTX Chief Technology Officer. “We’re responding to real‑world surgeon requests in oncology‑related care. Our immediate focus is on humanitarian‑use cases while we build the quality systems, regulatory files, and production capacity to expand into additional indications through appropriate FDA pathways.”
