Cranfield University student Mat Simpkins has helped develop a new technique for engineering magnesium-based micro-devices which could have significant implications for the biomedical industry. 

Mat received an award for his work at the 8th International Conference on Magnesium Alloys and their Applications, organised by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde (DGM) and held in Weimar, Germany, where he presented a technical poster on the project. The conference was attended by over 340 delegates from 26 countries and included over 130 oral papers presented over a four-day period. Mat’s poster was one of 86 submitted by numerous research organisations.

The process, demonstrated by Mat for his thesis project on the Microsystems and Nanotechnology MSc course at Cranfield University, involved a novel application of machining magnesium alloys using a photochemical machining (PCM) process - a non-conventional machining method which allows the removal of selected areas of metal, whilst not altering the physical and chemical properties of the remaining material. Mat successfully demonstrated the process by producing a replica Cicada wing with a minimum line-width of 0.15mm.

It is believed that this technology could be applied to micro-engineered vehicles and biological implant devices as there has been growing interest in the biodegradability of magnesium and its use as a soluble implant for biomedical applications. As the human body is able to tolerate high levels of magnesium, clinical trials are underway in the use of magnesium stents, used to keep coronary arteries open.

In further work, an optimised technique could be applied to the development of a 3D stent. If successful, the advantages that the PCM process offers could have a significant impact on the medical device and processing industry.

The research was supervised by David Allen, Professor of Microengineering at Cranfield, and sponsored by Magnesium Elektron, currently the world’s largest developer, producer and distributor of magnesium alloys and products.

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Content added on 9th December 2009.