SUPERELASTIC DEVICES MADE FROM NITIHF ALLOYS USING POWDER METALLURGICAL TECHNIQUES

1 . A near net shape additive manufacturing method of fabricating a medical device for implantation in a human or animal body, the method comprising:

applying a pulsed laser energy to a first quantity of a pre-alloyed metallic powder material comprising Titanium, Nickel and at least 2% Hafnium on a substrate so as to fuse particles of the pre-alloyed powder material into a first layer on the substrate;

forming at least one additional layer on the first layer by applying a pulsed laser energy to at least a second quantity of the pre-alloyed powder material on the first layer so as to fuse particles of the pre-alloyed powder material into the at least one additional layer on the first layer; and

repeating the applying and the forming steps to fabricate a near net shape medical device from the pre-alloyed powder material.

2 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the controlled manner of applying the pulsed laser energy causes the first and second quantities of the powder material to fully melt.

3 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the controlled manner of applying the pulsed laser energy reduces at least one microstructural defect in the first layer and the at least one additional layer, and the at least one microstructural defect is chosen from the group consisting of microcracks and porosity.

4 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-alloyed metallic powder material comprising Nickel, Titanium and Hafnium further comprises a filler material or an additive material.

5 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the near net shape medical device is a component used in an orthopedic procedure to repair a joint.

6 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 5 wherein the component is a pin, a nail, a screw or a staple.

7 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 wherein the component is an intervertebral cage.

8 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 wherein the component is a component used in an orthodontic procedure.

9 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 8 wherein the component is a wire or a pin.

10 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the fabricated near net shape medical device is subsequently aged such that the Af temperature is less than body temperature and the UTS is at least 900 MPa.

11 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-alloyed metallic powder material has a nickel content greater than 50 atomic percent.

12 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 10 , wherein the fabricated near net shape medical device has less than 2% residual set (plastic deformation) is observed after a 6% tensile deformation.

13 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 10 , wherein the aging temperature is between 350 and 550° C.

14 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 10 , wherein the aging temperature is between 400-600° C. for 5-500 minutes.

15 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 10 , wherein the aging process temperature and timing are selected so that the UTS of the component increases by at least 100 MPa.

16 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the near net shape medical device is fabricated for implantation into the human body.

17 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 10 wherein the fabricated near net shape medical device after performing the aging step is at least 2% Hf aged such that the H-phase of the NiTiHf precipitate is present in the near net shape medical device.

18 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-alloyed metallic powder material has a Hafnium atomic percentage less than 20%.

19 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-alloyed metallic powder material has a Hafnium atomic percentage of between 4-6%.

20 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-alloyed metallic powder material has a Hafnium atomic percentage of between 4-10%, Ni atomic percentage between 50.5-51.5% with the remainder comprising Ti.

21 . A near net shape implantable medical device fabricated using an additive manufacturing technique using a pre-alloyed metallic powder material comprising NiTHf, the implantable medical device having an A f temperature of less than body temperature and an UTS of at least 900 MPa.

22 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the Nickel content of the pre-alloyed metallic powder material comprising NiTHf is greater than 50 atomic percent.

23 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the Hafnium content of the pre-alloyed metallic powder material comprising NiTHf is less than 20 atomic percent.

24 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the Hafnium content of the pre-alloyed metallic powder material comprising NiTHf is between 4-6 atomic percent.

25 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the pre-alloyed metallic powder material has a Hafnium atomic percentage of between 4-10%, Ni atomic percentage between 50.5-51.5% with the remainder comprising Ti.

26 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the near net shape medical device is a component used in an orthopedic procedure to repair a joint.

27 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 26 wherein the component is a pin, a nail, a screw or a staple.

28 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the near net shape medical device is an intervertebral cage.

29 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 21 wherein the near net shape medical device is a component used in an orthodontic procedure.

30 . The near net shape implantable medical device of claim 29 wherein the component is a wire or a pin.

31 . The near net shape implantable device of claim 29 having structure, shape or features to enhance bone or tissue in growth.