The TM Ardis Interbody System is a lumbar spine implant made with Zimmer's tantalum-based Trabecular Metal (TM) technology, a highly porous metallic substance with characteristics similar to the spongy type of bone. (Source: Zimmer)
Chuck, good question, but I suspect we'd have to ask a surgeon that specializes in this surgery to find actual lifetime info for a given implant (or access the sugeons-only info on the manufacturer's website). Aside from replacing degenerated bone that has been removed, as williamlweaver points out, the main function of the device is apparently to support new bone growth, no easy task. As the manufacturer's website does say, the other implants made of this material have been used successfully for several years.
I have to agree. Not only is the application itself very cool, but the development process itself is fascinating. I can almost see the future of active older adults careening down zip-lines and skydiving with impunity using their new tantalum-strengthed spines for support.
Warren, I certainly agree. Being a "baby-boomer" myself, I can't tell you the number of family, friends, etc I know that could benefit from this technology RIGHT NOW. One very important sentence Ann put in her write-up--"THE MATERIAL HAS A HISTORY OF SEVERAL YEARS OF CLINICAL SUCCESS AS AN IMPLANT", indicates it could be ready for "prime time". I don't know the regulatory processes necessary for approval but if the technology is there, considerable suffering could be lessened and possibly eliminated. This is anoter great example of how engneering contributes to our society and how significant problems can be solved when proper engineering is applied. Great article Ann.
Hi Chuck... I'm pretty sure the porous Tantalum substrate serves as a scaffold for new bone growth. Over time the metal implant becomes more natural bone than metal, providing the required mechanical and fatigue strength.
I do wonder about the performance of this material (especially in terms of elasticity) over time. Human backs do a lot of bending, twisting and compressing. This is an application where you can't afford to have plastic failure. Any idea how long this would last, Ann?
williamlweaver, I also found the manufacturing process fascinating, especially the use of vapor deposition processes, which I've encountered previously in electronics manufacturing contexts. I'm not sure if you intended this implication, but your comment sounds like you may be thinking of the possibility of extending the materials and/or processes described in the article to biocompatible materials in electronics. Is that an accurate guess?
warren, I had the same idea about "nano" regarding the material's ability to be incorporated in to the body. As the article states, the manufacturer has already used this material successfully for making implants and other products for hips, knees, and extremities, as well as in the cervical spine (in the neck). What's new here is the use for the lumbar spine (in the lower back), at least in the US.
Use polymer methods to create the substrate material. Use foaming methods to create the correct porosity and shape. Pyrolyze the polymer to create a carbon latice with the appropriate geometry and then use this latice as an engineered scaffold to assemble the tantalum via vapor deposition.
How freaking elegant is that!? =]
I agree my analogy to cermets is pretty loose. The resulting tantalum structure doesn't appear to get it's final mechanical properties as a polymer/metal composite.
I'm just wondering how soon this type of manufacturing process will be adopted for zeolite catalysts and other high-surface area materials like fuel cells. Maybe it already has... Great stuff!
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
