Back pain is seen as one of the biggest contributors to patient disability worldwide.
The main influencer is general wear and tear, sometimes there are more specific cases such as sciatica and disease.
Occupational therapies like chiropractic adjustments or acupuncture will be used as a precursor, but some cases will eventually require surgical intervention to implant a medical device like a spinal implant.
Spinal implants, designed to restore function to the spinal column, often feature highly complex micro-machined parts.
To guarantee patient safety and comfort, it is essential to eliminate burrs and sharp edges present after machining.
These implants, sometimes designed to allow micromovements to adapt to the anatomy of the spine, pose specific manufacturing and deburring challenges.
To avoid premature implant wear and failure, contact surfaces designed to move benefit from being post-processed by abrasive flow machining. A high-quality surface finish on moving contact surfaces reduces abrasion and improves implant longevity.
Finally, surface treatment and surface cleaning of deburred spinal implants ensure compatibility with human anatomy.
To preserve implant functionality over the long term, it is essential to guarantee process quality and repeatability.
Spinal implant finishing is a critical process that removes sharp edges, burrs, and other imperfections left from the initial machining of spinal implants, which goal is to ensure dimensional tolerances.
Due to the complex and often microscopic design features required for spinal implants, minor, precise adjustments are essential to achieve a smooth, biocompatible surface.
This process is essential for ensuring the implant is safe for patient use, preventing irritation or damage to surrounding tissues, and maintaining the structural integrity of the implant.
The moving contact surfaces of implants can quickly wear out if they are not optimally treated.
To ensure high quality in spinal implant deburring, radiusing, and polishing after precision machining, manufacturers use advanced techniques like Abrasive Flow Machining (AFM) technology, which is particularly well-suited to meet this requirement.
AFM process uses a controlled abrasive flow to polish surfaces evenly, reducing abrasion, improving implant durability, and minimizing the risk of premature failure.
This method controls a highly viscous, abrasive media flow through the implant’s intricate structures, polishing surfaces uniformly and reaching complex internal geometries that other techniques may miss, guaranteeing consistent deburring and cleanliness integrity. It provides perfect edges and a high-quality surface finish, which can guarantee consistent deburring and cleanliness integrity.
AFM not only ensures a smooth finish but also maintains the tight tolerances required for these implants.
Key aspects of ensuring finishing quality with Abrasive Flow Machining include:
Quality in finishing is achieved by combining the proper techniques, precise controls, and continuous inspection. This results in a reliable, high-performance implant that supports the patient’s recovery and long-term health.
The VECTOR Abrasive Flow Machining (AFM) system can polish and deburr precision parts in small to high-volume batch quantities for a wide range of applications in a reasonable space.
No question, with 400+ VECTOR machines in 22 countries worldwide, VECTOR is the best seller in its category.
Benefit now from the latest VECTOR iteration.
For those unable to invest, Extrude Hone provides contract shop services globally.
Benefit from trial and contract capabilities, extensive experience, and expert support to ensure quick turnaround and uncompromised quality.
At Extrude Hone, our commitment is to provide you with an unparalleled experience. We use our knowledge to help your projects. We work hard to ensure the best solutions.
Our goal is to enhance efficiency and make your parts flawless.
Learn more about our medical and AFM experience
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