Cobalt Chrome Femoral

This is a femoral implant. Implants like these are used in the upper leg and need to be a perfect fit for the end user. Not only do these need to be the correct size, but they need to be perfectly smooth before being implanted.

In order to make these implants smooth, or finished as we call them, the company that sent them to us used a belt sander and finished them by hand. The issue with an item like this with its unique shape means that a belt sander just will not get the job done fast enough. There are so many angles to work on that a belt sander, which works only in two dimensions, will not suffice.

The company then chose to automate using robots to pick and address the femoral to the same belt sanders and polishers that were being used by hand, This automated process was very costly and did not process parts any faster than a human.  So, for every bench worker the company needed a complete new robotic system which had another drawback, in that it could not adjust its own motion according to the extreme variations of the parts.

Rather than using the belt sander or the robots, these implants were sent to us. Upon receiving these, Bel Air developed a method of finishing, including a form of media that was able to work on all of the complicate surface features of the implants. So Bel Air helped the customer developed the first Drag Finishing system for femoral, that works on multiple parts in a cycle and in three dimensions, rather than two, allowing for a uniform finish over the entire surface of the product.

This method that Bel Air helped developed is now used all over the world, as standard finishing process for the medical industry.

Furthermore, Bel Air, in its quest for continuous improvement has developed new and more efficient equipment for improved processing, as well as new media for polishing of new coated surfaces.

Now these implants are ready for their end user.

If you are unsure what equipment and media you require to achieve your desired surface finish, then send us your part, and we will evaluate it and provide you with a metrology report.