InssTek, (based in Daejeon, South Korea) contributed to receiving FDA approval for an artificial hip joint and cup component manufactured using Metal Porous Coating (MPC) technology.

For artificial joints to bind to bones, a porous structure is required to allow bones to grow on the surface of artificial joints. In the existing artificial joint manufacturing method, titanium (Ti) powder was sprayed on the surface of the artificial joint using Titanium Plasma Spray (TPS) technology to manufacture a rough structure. However, the artificial joint and titanium (Ti) powder are not completely bonded, and the bonding power of the coating layer is weak, therefore various problems have been reported.

Metal Porous Coating (MPC) technology is a technology that 3D prints patterns of porous structures on the surface of artificial joints using medical titanium (Ti) powder. Since MPC technology is developed from Direct Energy Deposition (DED) Metal 3D printing method, unlike conventional methods, artificial joints, and titanium (Ti) powders are completely melted and combined as one alloy. In addition, the pattern of the porous structure is manufactured by 3D printing, and the optimal roughness and pore structure can be expressed. Also, the quality of the coated artificial joints is constant.

InssTek succeeded in porous coating ‘BENCOX Mirabo Z Cup Cortinium’, an artificial hip joint cup component by Korean artificial joint company Corentec, using MPC technology. And obtained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).In addition, InssTek succeeded in applying MPC technology to cobalt-chromium (CoCr) alloy for artificial knee joints and artificial ankle joints, and further research is being conducted to apply MPC technology to various industrial fields such as semiconductors and aerospace.

Meanwhile, InssTek will participate in IMTS to be held in Chicago in September and FormNext to be held in Frankfurt, Germany in November to showcase various metal 3D printing technologies, including Metal Porous Coating technology.

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