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US 9,775,713 B2Granted
Applications of diffusion hardening techniques
AssigneeSmith & Nephew, Inc.
InventorsTimothy J. Band, Hamish Forster, Vivek D. Pawar, Abraham B. Salehi, Jeffrey J. Shea, Gordon B. Hunter, Shilesh C. Jani, Mark L. Morrison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device, for example a medical implant, and a method of making the same, the device having a metal or metal alloy substrate, for example CoCr, and a diffusion hardened metallic surface, for example a plasma carburized surface, contacting a non-diffusion hardened surface or a diffusion hardened surface having a diffusion hardening species different from that of the opposing surface.
Claims30
A method of making an orthopedic implant comprising the steps of:
- forming an orthopedic implant comprising one or more first components and one or more second components, said forming step comprises
- forming said one or more first components from a first metal or metal alloy, each of said one or more first components having a first articulating surface:
- and
- forming said one or more second components from a second metal or metal alloy, each of said one or more second components having a second articulating surface, wherein any of said first articulating surface of said one or more first components is configured to articulate against any of said second articulating surface of said one or more second components;
- and
- forming a diffusion hardened metallic surface on said orthopedic implant by diffusion hardening, said step of diffusion hardening being performed with a diffusion hardening species selected from the group consisting of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, boron, and any combination thereof, said step of diffusion hardening performed according to step (a) or (b):
- (a) diffusion hardening to form a diffusion hardened metallic surface on one and only one of said first and second articulating surfaces, wherein the non-diffusion hardened surface comprises a metal or metal alloy surface;
- (b) diffusion hardening to form a diffusion hardened metallic surface on both of said first and second articulating surfaces wherein said first articulating surface is diffusion hardened with at least a first diffusion hardening species and said second articulating surface is diffusion hardened with at least a second diffusion hardening species and wherein said first diffusion hardening species is different from said second diffusion hardening species.
5 more elements
A method of making an orthopedic implant comprising the steps of:
- forming an orthopedic implant comprising a one or more first components and a one or more second components, said step comprises
- forming said one or more first components from a first metal or metal alloy, each of said one or more first components having a first articulating surface;
- forming said one or more second components from a second metal or metal alloy, each of said one or more second components having a second articulating surface, wherein any of said first articulating surface of said one or more first components is configured to articulate against any of said second articulating surface of said one or more second components;
- and
- forming a diffusion hardened metallic surface on one and only one of said first and second articulating surfaces, wherein the non-diffusion hardened surface comprises a metal or metal alloy surface.
2 more elements
A method of making an orthopedic implant comprising the steps of:
- forming an orthopedic implant comprising a one or more first components and a one or more second components, said forming step comprises
- forming said one or more first components from a first metal or metal alloy, each of said one or more first components having a first articulating surface;
- forming said one or more second components from a second metal or metal alloy, each of said one or more second components having a second articulating surface;
- wherein any of said first articulating surface of said one or more first components is configured to articulate against any of said second articulating surface of said one or more second components;
- forming a diffusion hardened metallic surface on said first articulating surface with a first diffusion hardening species;
- and
- forming a diffusion hardened metallic surface on said second articulating surface with a second hardening species,
- wherein said first diffusion hardening species is different from said second diffusion hardening species.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.