Combined Technologies Offer Stringent Finishing Results for Trauma Implants

cs medtronic adaptix 3dx

From intramedullary devices like nails and rods to cranial plates, there are numerous uses for trauma implants, each with its own unique surface finishing needs and requirements.

Trauma implants are subject to some of the most stringent quality standards in the medical industry. Any material defect or malfunction can have catastrophic consequences for a patient. Therefore, trauma implant manufacturers must achieve the necessary surface finish to ensure patient safety and best results. Finishing requirements can range from simple cleaning or deburring to surface smoothing and high-gloss polishing.

Trauma implants are subject to multiple finishing operations throughout the manufacturing process. After manufacturing steps including forging, blanking, machining, and thread cutting for screws, the workpieces usually undergo a surface cleaning (descaling, de-oiling), deburring, edge radiusing, or a surface grinding operation, before they receive their final finish.

Before insertion into the body, trauma implants generally must have a very smooth, polished surface with low Ra values. Knowing what questions to ask a processing partner will help medical manufacturers achieve their desired finish.

Trauma implants such as screws and bone plates require special finishes to meet the needs and regulations of the medical industry.

How are these finishes achieved?

Mass finishing and shot blasting are among various technologies that play a key role in developing industry standards for finishing trauma implants. The technologies represent various stages from an intermediate surface treatment step during the manufacturing process or the final finish right before implantation. These finishing techniques are important in that they:

  • Create homogeneous, all-around “isotropic” (multi-directional) finishes as opposed to “anisotropic” (mono-directional) surface appearances produced by machining, belt and wheel grinding, rolling, drawing or extrusion.
  • Can handle all materials that are used in the production of trauma implants.
  • Produce consistent, repeatable finishing results with easy-to-control mechanical processes and eliminate the quality fluctuations inherent in manual finishing operations.
  • Handle a multitude of diverse tasks that range from general surface cleaning to high gloss polishing.
  • Are available in a wide spectrum of equipment, from simple, low-cost stand-alone machines to fully automated finishing systems.
Rosler finishing cranial plates

Processing for a cranial plate includes smoothing in a mass finishing bowl.

Can shot blasting and mass finishing be combined?

Yes! Trauma implants frequently require a combined shot blasting and mass finishing treatment. Shot blasting may be used as a preparatory cleaning or peening step followed by a mass finishing process for surface smoothing and polishing.

In the example of bone plates, the implants require multiple surface finishing steps including shot blasting and mass finishing to achieve the desired result.

Rosler Process

Are combined technologies affordable?

Both mass finishing and shot blasting technologies are highly adaptive to customer needs and offer flexible, modular solutions that can offer economical advantages. The equipment spectrum ranges from small manual or semi-automatic machines, ideal for low production volumes, to fully automatic systems for high volume production.

For relatively simple processes, the costs per piece can be as low as a few cents. Even with more complex, multi-step finishing operations for high-value components – such as orthopedic implants – the costs for cut-down after casting/forging, followed by surface smoothing, and polishing may amount to just a few dollars – a small fraction of the total component costs.

The most significant cost reduction is achieved through the stability of the finishing process thus ensuring repeatable, high-quality finishing results with zero scrap rates.

Using dual methods enables manufacturers to achieve high gloss finishes on bone plates.

Guidebooks & Resources

From choosing the right material to attaining the required surface finish, processing medical implants and instruments requires insight and expertise. Rosler offers guidebooks to illustrate all the considerations that go into selecting a surface finishing partner and process.

The Rosler Blog also offers tips and insight regarding surface finishing. There you can search for topics of interest to you or sign up for enews alerts.


Bernhard Kerschbaum is the CEO of Rosler, part of the Rosler Group. With more than 80 years of surface finishing expertise, Rosler is uniquely capable of “Finding a better way…” as its motto states. For more information, visit www.us.rosler.com or email.

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