Sandblasting
The specificity of surface sandblasting of medical products of the prosthetic nature,particularly, the implants lies in the fact that it is often aimed not at the improvement in their technological cleanliness (quality class), but quite to the contrary – to the attainment of a definite degree of irregularity (roughness) and even porosity. The roughness and porosity of the prosthetic implant surfaces are primarily necessary in accordance with the requirements of prosthetics technologiesand for their better (effective) survival to a living tissue. In order to assure taking on such specific properties by the implant metal (titanium) surfaces, they are subjected to sandblasting and acid treatment (etching) at our ABM Technology Medical Product Plant.
The sandblasting of medical products according to the principle of operation is a close analogue of the one applicable in the industrial manufacturing. Its principle lies in aiming a high-speed flow of small-size solid particles (sand) at the surface being treated acting as an abrasive when colliding and removing a layer of contaminants and oxides from it. A distinction is made between the dry sandblasting (sand is in the air flow) and the liquid sandblasting (abrasive is in a high-speed liquid flow).
In the manufacturing conditions of the ABM Technology Medical Product Plant, usual silica sand is not used as the abrasive material with the use of much more quality and expensive materials - aluminum oxide Al2O3 (corundum) or tricalcium phosphate Ca3O8P2. The equipment used for sandblasting at our ABM Technology Medical Product Plant is also not ordinary industrial one, but specialized equipment for processing of small-size fashioned products manufactured by Swiss KKS Ultraschall AG. Its parameters are distinguished by extra processing accuracy as well as the cleanliness in operation, which is required for provision of adequate sanitary standards of medical manufacturing.
The sandblasting is an analogue of the abrasive grinding far not always. In fact, the solid sand particles remain some dimples on the surface being treated, which make the surface being treated not quite smooth, but slightly rough (so-called, matte, matted). That which sometimes is a drawback in conditions of the industrial manufacturing, becomes a valuable property during manufacturing of the prosthetic implants. In fact, the uniform roughness (matt finishing) considerably increases the area of implant contact surface, which is very important for the quality of its survival to a living tissue. Thus, the sandblasting of medical products in conditions of specific manufacturing of the ABM Technology Medical Product Plant is not only a means for cleaning the parts from contamination and oxides, but an important constituent of the technology for formation of the surfaces of the effective implant survival.