Method of making an implant having a metallic porous surface
AssigneeZimmer, Inc.
InventorThirumal Devanathan
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Abstract
An implant comprises a plastic body and a metallic, porous surface securely fixed to the body. The implant is made by first producing a porous mold insert having a porous metal structure and a soluble filler material filling a portion of its pores. The mold insert is then placed in a mold and plastic is injected into the mold and the exposed pores of the insert to form the implant body and securely attach the body and insert. The implant is then contacted by a solvent which dissolves the filler material to expose that portion of the insert which had been filled.
Claims8
A method for producing an implant having a body and a porous surface, comprising the steps of:
- forming a porous insert by introducing an amorphous polymer into some of the pores of a porous material;
- positioning the porous insert in a mold;
- injecting a semi-crystalline polymer into the mold;
- dissolving the amorphous polymer in a solvent.
A method for producing an implant comprising the steps of:
- filling partially some of the pores of a porous material with a filler material to form an insert;
- molding a body adjacent the insert so that the body material interdigitates with some of the pores not filled by the filler material;
- and
- exposing some of the pores in the porous material by removal of filler material after the body is molded.
A method of producing an implant having a body, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a porous material;
- introducing a filler material into some of the pores of the porous material;
- and
- forming at least a portion of the body of the implant adjacent the porous material so that the portion interdigitates with some of the pores not filled by the filler material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.