Abstract: One aspect is a method for producing an alloy, whereby the alloy consists of a first metal, a second metal, a third metal, and a fourth metal, and the first metal, the second metal, the third metal, and the fourth metal are selected from the group consisting of the metals, niobium, zirconium, tantalum tungsten. The method includes the steps of grinding the first metal to form a first metal powder and grinding the second metal to form a second metal powder; mixing the first metal powder and the second metal powder to form a first blended powder; generating a first blended body from the blended powder by a powder metallurgical route; and generating the alloy by melting the first blended body and the remaining metals by a melt metallurgical route.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: One aspect relates to an electrical bushing for use in a housing of an implantable medical device. The electrical bushing includes at least one electrically insulating base body and at least one electrical conducting element. The electrical bushing includes a holding element to hold the electrical bushing in or on the housing. The conducting element is set-up to establish, through the base body, at least one electrically conductive connection between an internal space of the housing and an external space. The conducting element is hermetically sealed with respect to the base body. The at least one conducting element includes at least one cermet. The holding element is made, to at least 80% by weight with respect to the holding element, from a material selected from the group consisting of a metal from any of the subgroups IV, V, VI, VIII, IX, and X of the periodic system.

Abstract: An electrical bushing for use in a housing of an implantable medical device is proposed. The electrical bushing includes at least one electrically insulating base body and at least one electrical conducting element. The conducting element establishes, through the base body, at least one electrically conductive connection between an internal space of the housing and an external space. The conducting element is hermetically sealed with respect to the base body, at least in part. The at least one conducting element includes at least one cermet. The electrical bushing further includes at least one metallic frame element, which fixes the base body in at least one housing opening of the housing.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a medical implant, for example, implantable stimulation electrode, having a tight substrate and a porous contact region. One aspect also relates to a lead of a cardiac pacemaker having an implantable stimulation electrode and to a method for manufacturing a medical implant, for example, an implantable stimulation electrode. A medical implant according to one aspect is characterized in that the implant includes a sintered body with graduated porosity.

Abstract: One aspect is a method for the production of a three-dimensional structure of successive layers producing a multitude of successive layers wherein, with the exception of a first layer, each of the successive layers is arranged on a preceding layer. Each of the successive layers includes at least two materials wherein one material is a sacrificial material and one material is a structure material. Each of the successive layers defines a successive cross-section through the three-dimensional structure. Producing each of the layers includes depositing the sacrificial material by means of an electrochemical process and depositing the structure material by means of physical gas phase deposition. After a multitude of successive layers has been produced, the three-dimensional structure is uncovered by removing at least a part of the sacrificial material. The sacrificial material is at least one of a group consisting of nickel, silver, palladium, and gold.

Abstract: A wire includes a first wire section is of a first material and a second wire section is of a second material different from the first material. A joining section is adjacent both the first and second wire sections, the joining section comprising a first end and a second end. The first end of the joining section is of a material that is compatible with the first material of the first wire section and the second end of the joining section is of a material that is compatible with the second material of the second wire section.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a method for connecting a housing of an active implantable medical device to a head part, whereby an uncured joining agent that is arranged, at least in part, between the housing and the head part is transitioned into a cured joining agent to attain a firmly bonded connection. In one embodiment, the uncured joining agent includes monomers of a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester, and the cured joining agent includes at least one polymer of the (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a method for producing an alloy, whereby the alloy consists of three metals and the three metals are selected from the group consisting of tantalum, tungsten, and niobium. The method according to one embodiment is characterized by a) grinding the tantalum to form a tantalum powder and grinding the tungsten to form a tungsten powder; b) mixing the tantalum powder and the tungsten powder to form a blended powder, whereby the weight fraction of tungsten powder in the blended powder is larger than in the desired alloy; c) producing a blended body from the blended powder by means of a powder metallurgical route; d) producing a pre-alloy by means of a first melting of the blended body and at least a fraction of at least one further metal by means of a melt metallurgical route; and e) producing the alloy by means of a second melting of the pre-alloy and the remaining fraction of at least one metal by means of a melt metallurgical route.

Abstract: One aspect discloses a method for producing an alloy, whereby the alloy consists of a first metal, a second metal, a third metal, and a fourth metal, and the first metal, the second metal, the third metal, and the fourth metal are selected from the group consisting of the metals, niobium, zirconium, tantalum, and tungsten, and the method includes the steps of a) grinding the first metal to form a first metal powder and grinding the second metal to form a second metal powder; b) mixing the first metal powder and the second metal powder to form a first blended powder; c) generating a first blended body from the blended powder by means of a powder metallurgical route; d) generating the alloy by melting the first blended body and the remaining metals by means of a melt metallurgical route.

Abstract: One aspect relates to an electrical bushing for an implantable medical device, having an annulus-like holding element for holding the electrical bushing in the implantable medical device, whereby the holding element includes a through-opening, at least one elongated conducting wire extends through the through-opening, and an insulation element for forming a hermetic seal between the holding element and the conducting wire is arranged in the through-opening. One aspect provides for a cermet-containing bearing element to be arranged between the insulation element and the conducting wire.

Abstract: One aspect relates to an electrical bushing for an implantable medical device, having an annulus-like holding element for holding the electrical bushing in the implantable medical device, whereby the holding element includes a through-opening, at least one elongated conduction element extends through the through-opening, and an insulation element for forming a hermetic seal between the holding element and the conduction element is arranged in the through-opening. One aspect provides for the at least one conduction element to include a cermet.

Abstract: One aspect is a method for producing an alloy, whereby the alloy includes at least a first metal and a second metal, whereby firstly a powder metallurgical route and subsequently a melt metallurgical route is used sequentially in order to generate the alloy from the, at least, first metal and the second metal. The method includes grinding the first metal into a first metal powder, grinding the second metal into a second metal powder, mixing the first metal powder and the second metal powder to produce a blended powder, generating a blended body from the blended powder by the powder metallurgical route, and generating the alloy by melting the blended body by the melt metallurgical route.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a stimulation electrode including an electrically conducting base body. The base body encompasses tantalum and is at least partially covered with a porous tantalum oxide layer, which is anodically applied by means of high voltage pulses. Provision is made according to an embodiment for a metallic protective layer to cover the porous tantalum oxide layer so as to prevent a hydrogen embrittlement.

Abstract: One aspect is a device including at least two interconnected metal parts. The two interconnected parts are formed from metals with different melting temperature from the group consisting of the elements Pt, Pd, Ag, Au, Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, W, V, Hf, Mo, Co, Cr, Ni, Ir, Re, Ru as well as alloys on the basis of at least one of those elements. The metal part with the lower melting temperature is fused onto the metal part with the higher melting temperature and both parts are friction-locked and/or form-locked with each other.

Abstract: One aspect is a stranded wire containing numerous coils. The stranded wire is configured as an electrical connection between an electrical stimulation device that is connected to the proximal end of the stranded wire, and an electrode connected to the distal end of the stranded wire. At least one coil includes a tantalum or niobium-based metal.

Abstract: A method is provided for production of a medical marker (4) made of an X-ray-opaque material, including the following steps: a) photolithographic application of a mask (31) on a substrate (1); b) deposition of the X-ray-opaque material (40) of the marker (4) on the substrate (1); c) removal of the mask (31); and d) elimination of the substrate (1).

Abstract: The present invention provides improved cathodes and industrialized methods for producing such cathodes using an industrial dosing valve-based electrode coating fluid emitting technique. The family of cathodes according to the present invention can be produced so that they inhabit a pre-existing metallic surface such as an inner surface of a titanium casing adjacent but insulated from direct electrical communication from an anode. Foil-type valve metal anodes as well as porous valve metal anodes formed from metallic powders may be used in conjunction with the cathodes of the present invention.