Purpose To compare the CFR-PEEK plates with conventional plates in fracture fixation with regards to clinical and radiological outcomes and complications. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in four online databases independently by two reviewers using the Cochrane methodology for systematic reviews. The identified relevant studies were assessed against predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Independent data extraction and assessment of risk of bias and study quality was carried out. Results Nine studies (patient n = 361) out of 6594 records were included for analysis: 2 RCTs (n = 63), 3 prospective cohort studies (n = 151), and 4 retrospective cohort studies (n = 147). Studies were grouped per anatomic area of fixation. Four studies (n = 200) examined fixation of proximal humerus fractures. Two studies (n = 74) examined fixation of distal radius fractures. Two studies (n = 53) assessed outcomes of fixation of distal femur fractures. One study (n = 87) assessed the outcomes of fixation of ankle fractures. All nine studies reported very high union rates (from 91% in distal femur to 100% in upper limb) for the CFR-PEEK plate groups and low complication rates. There was no significant difference in clinical outcomes, and rate of complications as compared to the conventional plate groups. Conclusion CFR-PEEK plates have high union rates in extremity fracture fixation similar to conventional plates with comparable good clinical outcomes and a very low and comparable rate of complications. Considering their advantages, CFR-PEEK plates seem to be valid alternative to conventional plating.

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A new acrylated urethane encapsulant has been formulated for use on ceramic chip carriers. This encapsulant has been implemented on pin grid array (PGA) ceramic carriers and on peripheral leaded surface mount (SMT) ceramic carriers for IBM's C4 chips. The encapsulant is a UV curable material and is used to cover the thin film circuitry on the ceramic carrier. The encapsulant offers a low cost alternative to the metal caps that were used on the pin grid array ceramic carriers or to the ceramic cap that was used on the peripheral leaded surface mount carrier.UV curing was chosen as the preferred curing process in order to improve the manufacturing process flow. Many thermally cured materials are used in chip packaging. This thermal curing usually means racking of parts and curing for several hours. As the number of thermally cured materials increases so does the number of different cure temperaturedtime profiles. This drives the need for more and more ovens and increases the risk of improper cure if the wrong oven is used.Many encapsulants were evaluated in an gffort to find materials that would not crack or delaminate during

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