Look for an update on this exciting technology at the next ASM Materials & Processes for Medical Devices (MPMD) Conference & Exposition, November 14-16, 2005, Boston, MA
Improved Medical Implants
Titanium's biocompatibility and excellent imaging characteristics make it a material of choice for medical implants. CermeTi® takes titanium to a new level of wear resistance minimizing wear debris. Conventional titanium alloys used for hip, knee and other orthopaedic implant devices require polyethylene interfaces to eliminate metallic particle wear debris. Dynamet's CermeTi® titanium matrix composites containing TiC particles are designed for metal-on-metal wear and do not require polyethylene interfaces. This combination of superior wear resistance and excellent imaging characteristics give CermeTi® a unique advantage. A program to investigate these Ti MMCs for application to lumbar disc devices is being conducted with the participation of Medtronic, Northwestern University, and the Lahey Clinic under NIH sponsorship. The objective of the program is to identify and evaluate advanced composite compositions and process conditions that have the potential to meet the requirements for metal-metal lumbar disc devices.
These requirements include:
(1) low metal-on-metal wear
(2) excellent biocompatability
(3) excellent imaging characteristics
(4) acceptable mechanical properties
(5) excellent in-vivo pitting resistance,
(6) manufacturability.
CermeTi® composite implants resist wear, minimize debris, MPMD, July 2005
Dynamet's technical paper "The Development of Wear Resistant Titanium Ceramic Composites for Orthopaedic Implant Devices", was presented at 2004 ASM Materials & Processes for Medical Devices Conference & Exposition, St. Paul, MN and will be published in the conference proceedings.