Why Titanium is a Preferred Metal for Orthopedic Implants Manufacturing?

You may have heard that most orthopedic implants are made of stainless steel, commonly known as the toughest metal around. You may have also heard the cobalt-chromium alloy mentioned somewhere in the same breath with orthopedic implants. In reality, these metals do make up a few implants even to date but the best orthopedic implants manufacturer will talk about titanium as their preferred metal. Both stainless steel and cobalt-chromium alloy have their respective drawbacks that titanium effectively takes care of from all angles.

What is wrong with stainless steel?

Any orthopedic implant will see a lot of movement. The constituent metal thus needs to have a solid fatigue strength or the capability to see continuous locomotion without considerable wear and tear. Stainless steel cannot maintain this need. It will bend over time and undergo deformation. Hence, a small fragment implants manufacturer will use stainless steel for temporary implants that stay in the body for a short time and are taken out after the fracture heals. For more permanent use, titanium is used owing to its high fatigue resistance and low wear and tear with motion. Titanium is not only stronger but it is also lighter in weight compared to stainless steel thus making it a preferred orthopedic implant metal.

Why stay away from cobalt-chromium?

The cobalt-chromium alloy also has good fatigue resistance and is quite durable. In fact, before the introduction of titanium in the orthopedic implant industry, cobalt-chromium was used to make the permanent implants. However, patients started showing a moderate concentration of the alloy’s ions in their blood and soon, both the constituent metals were declared potential carcinogens. The switch to titanium was imminent. This new metal brought along all the good qualities.

So, why titanium?

The top orthopedic implants Company uses titanium due to its biocompatibility. The metal does not release any ions into the human body and neither reacts with bone or tissue constituents in any way. Plus, it can withstand considerable pressure due to continuous movement and do not undergo any type of corrosion with time. Technically speaking, titanium is chemically inert, has low elastic modulus, offers great strength, and much more. All qualities suitable to make orthopedic implants.

Another major area where titanium wins over other similar metals is its inexpensiveness. An orthopedic implants manufacturers will majorly look to make their products affordable to all the patients at large and titanium offers that benefit. Industry-grade titanium has low manufacturing and operations costs and thus, the implants also come at reasonable prices. Be sure to check the constituent metal while buying your implant. Titanium is preferred and is here to stay.

Last but not the least Titanium is non-ferrous (non-iron based) and it has a very low magnetic field. The magnetic field is so minute that titanium is widely considered a nonmagnetic metal. Therefore, the airport metal detectors are not set off ever with Titanium implants making life easier for everyone!

Summary: The top orthopedic implants manufacturer uses titanium due to its biocompatibility. The metal does not release any ions into the human body and neither reacts with bone or tissue constituents in any way. Plus, it can withstand considerable pressure due to continuous movement and do not undergo any type of corrosion with time. Technically speaking, titanium is chemically inert, has low elastic modulus, offers great strength, and much more. All qualities suitable to make orthopedic implants. Another major area where titanium wins over other similar metals is its inexpensiveness.