Method of manufacturing an implant and an implant with two coatings

Abstract

A medical implant for cartilage and/or bone repair at an articulating surface of a joint is provided. The implant includes a contoured implant body and at least one extending post. The implant body has an articulating surface configured to face the articulating part of the joint and a bone contact surface configured to face the bone structure of a joint, where the articulating and bone contact surfaces face mutually opposite directions and the bone contact surface is provided with the extending post. A cartilage contact surface connects the articulating and the bone contact surfaces and is configured to contact the cartilage surrounding the implant body in a joint. The articulating surface has a layer that is formed of titanium nitride (TiN) as the wear-resistant material. The cartilage contact surface has a coating that is formed of a material having chondrointegration properties.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 : A method of manufacturing a medical implant having at least one extending post and an implant body with an articulating surface, said method is comprising:
 forming an implant body in a 3D printing process comprising building the implant body of the medical implant from computer-aided design (CAD) data, wherein the CAD data is based on previously generated design parameters for the medical implant.   
     
     
         22 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  1 , wherein said method is a 3D printing process in which material is joined and solidified under computer control comprising building the implant body of the medical implant from computer-aided design (CAD) data by successively adding material layer by layer. 
     
     
         23 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  1 , wherein the design parameters for the medical implant are generated by performing the following steps:
 obtaining, through at least one medical image such as a MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound image, image data representing a three-dimensional image of at least a portion of a joint;   identifying, in the obtained image data, a bone and/or cartilage damage in an articulating surface of the joint;   determining, based on the obtained image data, the location, shape and/or size of the bone and/or cartilage damage;   determining, based on the obtained image data, the surface contour curvature of the cartilage and/or the subchondral bone in the joint in a predetermined area comprising and surrounding the site of the bone and/or cartilage damage; and   generating, based on the obtained image data, design parameters for the medical implant, including generating the contour curvature for an articulating surface of an implant body dependent on said determined surface curvature of the cartilage and/or the subchondral bone.   
     
     
         24 : The method of claim  1 , further comprising:
 forming a wear-resistant layer on the articulating surface of the 3D-printed implant body of the medical implant to make the articulating surface harder and more durable.   
     
     
         25 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  1 , wherein said forming of a wear-resistant layer on the articulating surface comprises:
 forming, by said 3D printing process, an implant body comprising titanium or a titanium-alloy; and   coating said layer of titanium nitride (TiN) on the articulating surface of the implant body of the medical implant consisting of titanium or a titanium-alloy, wherein said layer of wear-resistant material comprises titanium nitride (TiN) which is a material that adheres well to the titanium surface of the 3D-printed implant body.   
     
     
         26 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  5 , wherein said forming of a wear-resistant layer on the articulating surface comprises:
 plasma vapor depositing a layer of titanium nitride (TiN) on the articulating surface of the implant body comprising of titanium.   
     
     
         27 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  1 , further comprising:
 forming a layer of material having chondrointegration properties on the cartilage contact surface for stimulating cartilage to grow into the implant surface to achieve a firmer sealing and attachment of the implant, thereby providing a smoother transition between the cartilage and the implant leading to much lesser wear on the opposing surface of the joint as the cartilage and the implant work as an integrated mechanical entity with better resistance to destabilization by mechanical agitation or shear forces.   
     
     
         28 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  7 , wherein said material having chondrointegration properties consists of more than 95% hydroxyapatite (HA). 
     
     
         29 : The method of manufacturing a medical implant according to claim  6 , wherein said material having chondrointegration properties is any of hydroxyapatite (HA), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), beta tricalcium phosphate (TCP), collagens, fibronectin, osteonectin, calcium sulphate, calcium phosphate, calcium aluminates, calcium silicates, calcium carbonates, bioactive glass or bisphosphonates, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         30 : A medical implant manufactured according to the method of claim  1 , wherein said implant body formed from said 3D printing process has:
 a) an articulating surface configured to face an articulating part of the joint; and   b) a bone contact surface configured to face the bone structure of a joint, said articulating and bone contact surfaces facing mutually opposite directions.   
     
     
         31 : The medical implant according to claim  10 , wherein said implant body formed from said 3D printing process further has:
 c) a cartilage contact surface, which is a neighboring surface to the articulating surface and connecting the articulating and the bone contact surfaces, and which is configured to contact the cartilage surrounding the implant body in a joint.   
     
     
         32 : The medical implant of claim  11 , wherein said articulating surface has an outer layer coating of wear-resistant material consisting of titanium nitride (TiN), and wherein said cartilage contact surface is coated with a layer of material having chondrointegration properties for stimulating cartilage to grow into the implant surface. 
     
     
         33 : The medical implant according to claim  10 , wherein said bone contact surface is coated or partly coated with a material having osseointegration properties. 
     
     
         34 : The medical implant according to claim  10 , wherein said extending post is coated or partly coated with a material having osseointegration properties. 
     
     
         35 : The medical implant according to claim  10 , wherein at least part of said extending post is not coated with bioactive material.