It has developed advanced technology and processing protocols for nano-scale surface engineering of implantable medical devices. Vallum is a medical device company headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry. The award recognizes the product's value-added features/benefits and the increased return on investment (ROI) it provides to customers, which, in turn, raises customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.įrost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. 'Overall, Vallum's ability to produce a hydrophilic PEEK interbody device by nanotexturing its surface topography is a first of its kind and has the potential to set a new standard in interbody implant performance.'Įach year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that develops an innovative element in a product by leveraging leading-edge technologies. 'As the ANAB process was originally developed for the semiconductor industry, where no particles can be generated, the ANAB processor operates at standards higher than those required in medical device manufacturing,' noted Rajagopalan. Furthermore, the process does not disrupt the existing manufacturing process it simply adds an extra step, wherein a beam delivers argon atoms with tremendous kinetic energy onto the surface of the PEEK device to create a unique, dynamic nano-scale solution. In addition, the ANAB process is cost effective to apply because it does not require additional materials and in minutes can convert any preexisting PEEK interbody fusion device into a PEEKplus device. Significantly, Vallum's innovative approach of nanotexturing technology can be applied to any fully manufactured PEEK interbody device without altering its design or size or affecting its mechanical or chemical properties.

Therefore, compared to titanium coatings and surface porosity, PEEKplus offers a superior solution. Vallum's ANAB processor achieves this by superimposing nano-scale concavities directly onto the surface of the PEEK device to create 20 to 50-nanometer concavities. Titanium-coated and porous PEEK materials have surface textures measuring 300,000 nanometers however, superior osseointegration requires nanotexturing that is less than 100 nanometers. Vallum addressed this issue by altering the PEEK material at the nano-scale to make it hydrophilic without any coating or chemicals or creating porosity.' 'To enable bioactivity and initiate the osseointegration process, the surface of the interbody device must be hydrophilic however, unaltered PEEK is hydrophobic by nature. This groundbreaking innovation is the first and only FDA-cleared nanotextured surface on a PEEK interbody device,' said Sowmya Rajagopalan, Global Program Director at Frost & Sullivan.

'Vallum's focus on the nano-scale surface modification of PEEK interbody fusion devices to improve their osseointegrating capability in spinal fusion resulted in developing PEEKplus.

Vallum security services corporation