Impingement testing added to Lucideon’s orthopedic implant testing services

Lucideon, the international materials technology company, has added impingement testing to its range of services for orthopedic implant manufacturers.

Impingement testing assesses wear caused by motion beyond the joint’s natural limit, mimicking in vivo conditions.  Such testing can help manufacturers to approximate the longevity of an implant, but more importantly, predict its ability to withstand abnormal conditions, and, as such, is often included at the design stage of prosthetic development.

The new method for impingement wear testing of hip implants has been validated to ASTM F2582-14 and is complementary to Lucideon’s other wear testing services which include hip testing to ISO 14242 and knee testing to ISO 14243, both of which are ISO 17025 accredited.  Testing is carried out using the latest generation gold standard simulators.

Gemma Budd, Healthcare Business Manager at Lucideon, said:

“Impingement testing uses different set-up, load and motion profiles than standard wear testing, reflecting the fact that a joint in vivo would very rarely be under maximum force whilst impinging but accounting for the additional stresses the implant would be under if it did.  By performing this testing we are able to help manufacturers see how their product will perform in vivo, enabling them to assess its longevity and foresee potential failure modes.

“We’re committed to developing centres of excellence for hip and knee wear testing in both the US and UK and have invested £1M in state-of-the-art facilities on both sides of the Atlantic. We also plan to develop and validate methods for other joints, such as ankles and shoulders.”

Lucideon offers a comprehensive range of tribology services for orthopedic implant manufacturers, including failure, debris and wear pattern analysis.  A wide range of other analytical capabilities, such as surface analysis and materials characterization, are also available.

The company has just published a white paper on adverse event testing of implants.  This can be downloaded for free from the website – www.lucideon.com/wear.