Titanium acetabular implant

For orthopedic implant industries

THE COMPANY

GPAINNOVA’s client is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, driven to improve healthcare. Although it was established in the US, the customer has a subsidiary in Ireland. This organization offers innovative products and services in the medical and surgical, neurotechnology, orthopedics and spine areas that contribute to improved patient and healthcare outcomes.

THE PROBLEM

The challenge consists in avoiding manual polishing, since an automatic solution must be provided to ensure that the pressure on the metal surface is always the same, something impossible to achieve with manual work, since each operator will exert a different pressure.

THE GOAL

The customer was striving to produce high-quality, durable, and biocompatible acetabular prostheses that meet the stringent requirements of the medical industry and offer the best possible outcomes for patients undergoing hip replacement surgery. Specifically, the company should aim to achieve several objectives, such as higher cost-effectiveness, reducing lead times and total homogeneity and consistence among batches. The goal consisting in treating only the internal surface and to reach a roughness lower than 50 nm (1.96 microinches).

THE SOLUTION

GPAINNOVA made trial runs with different process time and parameters, including roughness measurements in different areas with a profilometer. The best results were achieved with the patented Dry Suspension electrolyte. The processing time was 45 minutes with a capacity of 2 pieces per batch, and it allowed to achieve a final roughness below 0.05 μm (1.97 μin).

Considering a weight removal of 0.03 g per piece and the weight removal capacity of a full media work bowl of 210 liters —in the case of titanium with the L-130 electrolyte is 2 kg—, GPAINNOVA, thanks to its DLyte solutions, can treat more than 65.000 acetabule per media charge.

TECHNICAL BENEFITS

01. Geometry and tolerance preservation & homogeneous results
02. Reduced material removal
03. Stable results among different batches within the electrolyte lifespan
04. Longer lifespan for treated parts
05. Biocompatibility and non-cytotoxicity proved

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS

01. Reduced footprint
02. Time and cost reduction
03. Exposure of workers during process and maintenance
04. Handling and storage of media
05. No need for multistep processes
06. Easy waste management