Method of manufacturing medical implant
A method of manufacturing an implant is disclosed. The method includes preparing a wax template assembly based upon anatomical characteristics of an implantation site. Post formation of the template assembly, a lamination layer is provided over the template assembly resulting in a laminated template assembly. The lamination layer is composed of at least one polymer dissolved in one or more solvents. One or more coating layers of a pre-defined coating material are provided over the laminated template assembly to prepare a mold. The mold may then be sand-rained to form a sand coated mold. The sand coated mold may be de-waxed and baked for melting out the template assembly to form a de-waxed mold. A casting material is then poured over the de-waxed mold to form a casted mold which is cooled and solidified to form a casted implant which is further heat treated and finished to form the implant.
1. A method of manufacturing an implant ( 100 ), the method comprising:
a. preparing a template assembly ( 20 ), the template assembly ( 20 ) being made from wax;
b. providing a lamination layer over the outer surface of the template assembly ( 20 ) resulting in a laminated template assembly ( 20 ′), the lamination layer ‘LL’ being composed of at least one polymer dissolved in one or more solvents;
c. preparing a mold ( 30 ) by providing one or more coating layers of a pre-defined coating material over the laminated template assembly;
d. providing pre-dried sand over the mold ( 30 ) to form a sand coated mold ( 30 b );
e. de-waxing and baking the sand coated mold ( 30 b ) for melting out the template assembly ( 20 ) to form a de-waxed mold ( 30 c );
f. pouring a pre-defined casting material over the de-waxed mold ( 30 c ) to form a casted mold;
g. cooling and solidifying the casted mold to form a casted implant ( 30 e ); and
h. heat treating and finishing the casted implant ( 30 e ) to form an implant ( 100 ).
2. The method of manufacturing an implant as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the preparing the template assembly ( 20 ) includes fabricating a template assembly ( 20 ) using fused deposition modelling.
3. The method of manufacturing an implant as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the preparing the template assembly ( 20 ) includes preparing a customized template assembly ( 20 ) using one or more anatomical characteristics derived from simulation of a radiological imaging technique.
4. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 3 wherein the one or more anatomical characteristics include one or more of thickness, curvature and/or size of an implantation site.
5. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the wax may include one or more of paraffin wax, bees wax, montan wax, carnabua wax or a blend of wax.
6. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein providing the lamination layer ‘LL’ includes first providing an adhesive coat ‘AC’ over the template assembly ( 20 ).
7. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 6 wherein the adhesive coat ‘AC’ is composed of one or more resins dissolved in one or more solvents.
8. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 6 wherein the adhesive coat ‘AC’ includes a thickness ranging between 2 μm and 6 μm.
9. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the lamination layer ‘LL’ includes a composition having LDPE in a concentration of 5 wt %-40 wt % dissolved in 50 −90 wt % of solvents.
10. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the lamination layer ‘LL’ includes a thickness ranging between 10 μm and 80 μm.
11. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the preparing the mold ( 30 ) includes providing one or more coating layers having a thickness ranging between 03 mm to 10 mm.
12. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the pre-defined coating material includes ceramic slurry.
13. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the de-waxing involves autoclaving the sand coated mold ( 30 b ) at a temperature ranging from 80° C. to 200° C.
14. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the baking involves a temperature ranging between 700° C. to 1200° C.
15. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the pre-defined pouring material is molten cobalt chromium molybdenum alloy.
16. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the cooling and solidifying includes air cooling the casted mold for 1-2 hours followed by water jet cooling of the casted mold.
17. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the heat treating and finishing includes hipping and annealing of the casted implant ( 30 e ).
18. The method of manufacturing an implant as clamed in claim 1 wherein the heat treating and finishing is followed by surface treating the implant ( 100 ).