Every manufacturer prides themselves on precision and reliability, but none more so than orthopedic implant manufacturers.
The Materials
Orthopedic implant manufacturers start with the materials. Generally, these will include some combination of iron, chromium, cobalt, titanium, and tantalum for the base, with plastic to provide an artificial cartilage. You need high-durability metals that are still flexible. Advanced plastics can comprise the entirety of some implants, but bone implants need a very specific combination of strength and give. If the patient has an allergy to any particular material, then the manufacturer and the medical team need to find a way to work around that.
Shaping
Orthopedic implant manufacturers generally do not have the luxury of creating one prototype and then mass producing it. Plates and replacement bones are typically made to order based on data given by a medical team, including x-rays, scans, and so on.
New Advances
For reasons that aren’t difficult to guess, the smarter orthopedic implant manufacturers tend to invest what they can into advanced technology in the field. Although many patients are perfectly happy with their new implants, the top manufacturers see room for improvement in every area. They could be more lightweight, cheaper to produce, easier to bond with the original bone and so on. There are new breakthroughs in the field on a fairly regular basis, and even someone who is not directly involved with medical tech might find these developments fascinating.
Every manufacturer takes pride in their work, but those who produce orthopedic implants are held to a higher standard. Put simply: Failure is not an option in orthopedic implants. There is no sending it back to the manufacturer for a free replacement. Every unit that ships has to be perfect.
