Medical
Greatly regarded in the medical industry for their ability to achieve high surface standards on complex shapes and materials, Alfons Schmeier’s high-precision grinding solutions enable the processing of hip joint implants that offer seamless function, stability, and full range of motion.
Precision Grinding in the Medical Industry
Grinding is an important step in the medical device manufacturing process whose role is to shape and polish the surface of devices like orthopedic implants and prosthetics. It ensures that those devices have precise shapes and smooth surfaces, crucial for their optimal function and effectiveness.
Alfons Schmeier’s cutting-edge grinding solutions achieve superior surface quality and shape geometry even on hard materials and coatings, such as ceramics and titanium carbide. Being entirely customizable, Schmeier’s grinding and finishing wheels are ideal for applications where individual requirements are essential.
High standards for shape and surface quality of artificial hip joints have resulted in complex manufacturing and grinding processes. The ball component is meticulously ground to achieve a smooth and scratch-free spherical shape, which enables a full range of motion by reducing friction with the socket. Similarly, the socket component is ground to precisely match the ball and securely hold it in place. Alfons Schmeier has developed specialized high-precision grinding tools which not only guarantee that the two components fit together and the artificial hip joint functions smoothly, but also that a stable production process is achieved.
Hip Joint Implants
Artificial hip joint implants – used in orthopedic surgery to replace damaged hip joints – consist of a ball to replace the femur’s head, i.e., thigh bone, and an inlay or socket for the acetabulum, i.e., the cup-shaped part of the pelvis. As those components are in constant action with each other, minimizing the friction between them is essential to ensuring their long service life and minimal wear.
