Ceramic process and products
AssigneeOrthoMatrix, Inc.
InventorsJaroslay Vit, Ronald L. Salsbury, Don J. Henderson
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Abstract
The invention disclosed by this application relates to a novel method of processing sinterable powders into sintered ceramic products. This application also relates to novel forms of aluminum oxide, hydroxylapatite, and tricalcium phosphate ceramic products prepared in accordance with the method of this invention, as well as novel intermediate products useful to prepare the novel ceramic products of this invention.
Claims16
Ceramic particles of a calcium phosphate material suitable as an implant or prosthesis material, characterized by a bulk density between about 80% and about 95% of the theoretical bulk density of the calcium phosphate material, a size range of between 10 and 80 mesh, and a network of micropores in the individual particles sufficient to permit tissue attachment when the particles are employed as an implant or prosthesis material wherein said micropores have a medium pore size of about 1.5 microns as determined by mercury porosimetry.
A sinterable agglomerate comprised of individual dry particles of a sinterable calcium phosphate material adhered together with an organic binder, said agglomerate having:
- a substantially spheroidal shape;
- a particle size of about 10-80 mesh;
- and a bulk density of about 0.8 to about 1.2 grams/cc.
A method of preparing an implantable calcium phosphate particulate material in the size range of 10-80 mesh comprising:
- (a) agglomerating together dry particles of a sinterable biocompatible calcium phosphate material in the size range of about 1 to about 75 microns with a binding agent to provide sinterable substantially spheroidal agglomerates having a size range of about 15-75% larger than the desired size range of the sintered particles;
- and
- (b) sintering the agglomerates to provide said sintered ceramic particles characterized by a substantially spheroidal shape and a network of micropores extending throughout each individual particles, said network of micropores sufficient to permit tissue attachment when the particles are employed as an implant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.