FABRICATION OF MONOLITHIC ZONES ON POROUS SCAFFOLD

1 . A process for preparing a medical device that comprises a porous biocompatible substrate and a biocompatible monolithic coating on a surface thereof, the process comprising:

(A) providing

(1) a porous biocompatible substrate comprising a porous biocompatible metallic, ceramic, or glass-ceramic material;

(2) a supply of particulate raw material capable of being melt-deposited to form a biocompatible ceramic or glass-ceramic layer upon the porous substrate surface;

(3) a supply of carrier gas; and

(4) a computer-programmable, automated, laser-assisted microdeposition (LAM) device having at least one integrated deposition head, the head both comprising a laser and having at least two particle delivery nozzles, each of which is so positioned as to be capable of directing a stream of the gas carrier confocally to the focal point of the laser;

(B) placing a portion of said surface of said substrate in contact with the laser beam at its focal point;

(C) mixing particulate raw material (A 2 ) with carrier gas (A 3 ) to form a particle stream;

(D) feeding the particle stream into each of at least two of said delivery nozzles of the deposition head, whereupon the laser at least partially melts the particulate raw material delivered to the focal point;

(E) cooling the particulate raw material to form a solid deposit of biocompatible ceramic or glass-ceramic material on said portion of said surface substrate; and

(F) moving the substrate relative to the laser beam to direct the laser beam focal point, at least once, across the remainder of said surface in a predetermined pattern, while performing said mixing, feeding and cooling steps, by which a layer of biocompatible ceramic or glass-ceramic material is deposited on substantially the entirety of said surface, at least the final deposited layer thereof being a contiguous layer, thereby forming a biocompatible, monolithic ceramic or glass-ceramic coating on said surface.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , further comprising machining the device or component.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein said substrate is moved across the surface area more than once to deposit more than one layer on the surface to form the coating.

4 . The process according to claim 3 , wherein all the layers are contiguous layers.

5 . The process according to claim 3 , wherein the composition of the particle stream used to form each of a sequence of layers is changed between layers or between groups of layers so as to from a chemical or physical gradient among the layers.

6 . The process according to claim 5 , wherein the particle stream composition is changed by successively increasing the volume/volume particle concentration of the particle stream.

7 . The process according to claim 5 , wherein the particle stream composition is changed by successively increasing the percent content of at least one component, and fewer than all components, in a multi-component particle stream.

8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the particles have an average diameter of about 0.1 to about 100 microns.

9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate comprises a porous biocompatible metallic titanium, titanium alloy, cobalt-chromium alloy, tantalum, or stainless steel.

10 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate comprises a porous biocompatible titanium alloy.

11 . The process according to claim 10 , wherein the titanium alloy further comprises nickel, aluminum, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, molybdenum, or a combination thereof.

12 . The process according to claim 10 , wherein the titanium alloy is a TiAl 6 V 4 alloy.

13 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of said substrate is an articulating surface.

14 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the particulate raw material is capable of being melt-deposited to form a biocompatible ceramic or glass-ceramic layer of a porcelain, calcium phosphate compound, titania, alumina, calcium oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or combination thereof.

15 . The process of claim 14 , wherein the particulate raw material comprises titanium, titanium alloys (e.g., Ti 6 Al 4 V), Co—Cr alloys (e.g., Co—Cr—Mo alloys), stainless steel (e.g., 316L), and alloys comprising such metals.

16 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the particulate raw material is capable of being melt-deposited to form a biocompatible layer of a hydroxyapatite compound.

17 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein for at least the first layer deposited on the substrate, the predetermined pattern of step (E) is a coordinate deposition pattern.

18 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein said process further comprises determining a coordinate deposition pattern prior to step (B).

19 . A medical device or medical device component comprising a porous biocompatible metallic, ceramic, or glass-ceramic substrate and a confocally-laser-deposited coating of biocompatible monolithic ceramic, or glass-ceramic coating on a surface thereof.

20 . A medical device according to claim 19 , wherein the coating is non-laminated and reinforces the scaffolding of the porous substrate.

21 . A medical device according to claim 19 , wherein the surface is an articulating surface.

22 . The device or component according to claim 19 , wherein the porous substrate comprises a porous biocompatible titanium alloy.

23 . The device or component according to claim 19 , wherein the coating comprises a biocompatible ceramic or glass-ceramic layer of a porcelain, calcium phosphate compound, titania, alumina, calcium oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or combination thereof.

24 . The device or component according to claim 23 , wherein the coating further comprises titanium, titanium alloys (e.g., Ti 6 Al 4 V), Co—Cr alloys (e.g., Co—Cr—Mo alloys), stainless steel (e.g., 316L), and alloys comprising such metals.

25 . The medical device according to claim 19 , wherein the coating comprises at least one coordinately deposited layer.