Mechanical assembly including exterior surface preparation

Abstract

A system and method for improving mechanical assemblies, such as prosthetic implants, intended to be installed in living tissue such as bone. Force-imparting devices are adapted and may include angularity, which may be introduced with specialized additive manufacturing, which may impart congruent cross-sections while providing variable stiffness. In some cases, the variable stiffness may be “stretchy” in a longitudinal direction and “rigid” in a radial directional which may provide an assembly bias. Additive manufacturing may allow the material of a prosthesis to be varied (e.g., density/porosity) to create variable stiffness over a length.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
         1 . An implant for at least a partial insertion into a portion of a bone, the portion of bone having a bone variable material properties profile, comprising:
 an insertion portion and an attachment portion, said insertion portion configured for installation into the portion of bone and wherein said attachment portion extends beyond the portion of bone and configured to mechanically join to a prosthetic component; and   a support system disposed in a region of a foundation of the implant, said support system configured to provide a propensity for a resistance to a fracture of said region.   
     
     
         2 . The implant of  claim 1  wherein said insertion portion includes a first reference location, a second reference location spaced apart from said first reference location, and an insertion portion variable material properties profile including said reference locations with said insertion portion variable material properties profile different from and generally compatible with the bone variable material properties profile and with said insertion portion variable material properties profile between said reference locations including a monotonically changing stiffness when extending from said first reference location to said second reference location.