Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTSMedical devices often require specific actuators with a wide variety of requirement profiles. These include mechanical drives and the generation of sound or ultrasound for therapeutic purposes. Fraunhofer IKTS develops solutions based on piezoceramic materials and electromagnetic effects. In the field of piezoceramics, both commercial and proprietary high-performance materials, including lead-free materials, are available as well as a range of innovative and flexible shaping processes for specific integrated solutions. In the field of electromagnetics, we have system expertise using state-of-the-art development tools and characterization processes. Priority applications are:
- Integrated piezosystems for power ultrasound in actuator applications
- Energy-passive drives for actuator implants
- Characterization of electromagnetic, acoustic and other fields
- Systems for the electrical, magnetic and mechanical influence of cell culture for tissue engineering
One current example is a drive system for endodontics that superimposes an axial oscillation on conventional file rotation, thereby reducing treatment risks.
