TWI has an ideal fit with the orthopaedics sector because our cross-sector expertise lies within the areas of manipulating the properties of metals, ceramics and polymers to increase wear resistance and reduce the chances of failure. The drive of this industry sector is towards improving material properties and processes to give our Members' products a technical and economic advantage.
TWI draws on key developments in other industry sectors, for example aerospace and automotive, in order to bring innovation to the orthopaedics sector.
Our expertise in this area has seen TWI involved in a range of projects in orthopaedics and non-active implantable devices to help create truly life-changing products. These projects have included the fatigue testing of prosthetic leg sockets, hip stem fatigue life evaluation, adhesion testing in acetabular cups, rotary friction welding for an impactor device, distortion analysis of an orthopaedic saw and the cold spraying of porous titanium for implants.
This variety of projects and applications show how we can draw upon our diverse and wide-ranging expertise to find the best solution for our Industrial Members.
The key technologies for this sector include:
- Joining of dissimilar materials
- Surface treatments of metals and polymers using power beams
- Wear and corrosion resistant materials/coatings
- Cold spray metals onto metals, ceramics and polymers
- Plasma spraying
- Laser direct metal deposition (LDMD)
- Composite materials and joining
- Electronics and sensor technology
- Prototype design and development
- Failure analysis
For more information, please contact us, below.