by Bing Carbone
Modern Plastics takes pride in our close relationships with some of the world’s leading chemical synthesis and research innovation leaders.
One such company is Evonik, whose state-of-the-art polymers and chemicals create the raw materials for many of Modern Plastics’ custom fabrication services provided to the medical industry.
Evonik’s materials also have a wide range of applications beyond the medical field, with their products seen in everything from auto parts to computers and even major Hollywood films.
The ubiquity of Evonik’s work is hardly serendipitous. They have worked hard to invest in leading-edge research while at the same time mobilizing capital to provide the best possible service to all parts of the globe.
Learn more about Evonik and why Modern Plastics is so honored to have a partnership with them by reading on:
A Gruppe Effort
Evonik is and always has been an intrinsically German company. Its current direction did not truly emerge until 2007 when it was formed as a consolidation of the RAG Foundation’s various applied sciences enterprises. However, the elements that formed Evonik have always been pioneers in the chemical and industrial research field.
One such company is Degussa, which began as a precious metal separation and recycling company before expanding its attention to chemical research. Their breakthroughs included synthesizing artificial indigo dye in 1901 and creating detergent substances in 1907 that would later be used in the first consumer laundry soaps.
Other noteworthy predecessors to Evonik include Chemische Fabrik Th. Goldschmidt, which extracted tin from scrap materials and developed the thermite steel welding process, and Röhm & Haas oHG, which patented the material Plexiglas in 1933. Goldschmidt, Röhm & Haas and Degussa all successfully achieved international market presence by the early 20th century with respective branches in Niagara Falls, Philadelphia, France, the UK and Australia.
Another progenitor company, Chemische Werke Hüls GmbH, helped form the initial snowball that led to the current Evonik group. Focused solely on synthetic materials fabrication and development, they formed a site in Marl, Germany that later became Evonik’s biggest production center. Hüls acquired Röhm GmbH in the 1980s and Chemische Fabrik Stockhausen shortly after before merging with Degussa AG in 1999.
The new entity formed by this “super group” of German chemical engineering leaders began to shed its peripheral activities in an effort to focus solely on specialty chemicals and materials development. In 2007, the company separated from its RAG Group parent company to form Evonik, which would focus on becoming a global front-runner in chemical and materials research.
Evonik currently employs around 33,000 people globally. Their international sales in 2014 alone amounted to around €12.9 billion ($14.1 billion USD). The company also invested more than €413 million ($452 million USD) last year in R&D, displaying their commitment to looking for the next big breakthrough in chemicals technology.
Their contributions range from one of the most viable medical-grade implant plastics on the market to the Aston Martin prop seen exploding during the James Bond film Skyfall.
Evonik and Modern Plastics Working Together
As a market leader in nearly every enterprise they engage in, Evonik certainly sets the standards for excellence. For Modern Plastics, this level of excellence grants us access to one of the most amazing medical-grade plastics available on the market: Vestakeep PEEK. This material mimics the density, weight and structural stability of bone with incredible biocompatibility.
We use Vestakeep in applications that would normally require titanium, cobalt chrome or stainless steel. Unlike the other metal materials, Vestakeep is transparent in x-rays, displays a combination of elasticity and strength that resembles human bone and has no allergic reactions. Materials created using Vestakeep include dental implants, spinal implants, cranial maxillofacial implants, orthopedics and a huge range of other products intended for both temporary and permanent patient use.
Like Modern Plastics, Evonik shows extreme dedication to vigorous ISO standards and strict supply chain management practices that create transparency and accountability. This commitment along with Evonik’s pursuit of leading-edge chemical and materials technologies makes them an exemplary supplier and partner for us.
Learn more about our relationship with Evonik.
Contact Modern Plastics Today for Evonik Products
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