The OrthoPOD, ADL-Hip Simulator and ADL-Knee Simulator

November 2011 – The OrthoPOD, ADL-Hip simulator and ADL-Knee simulator (AMTI Inc., Watertown, MA) have been successfully installed. The OrthoPOD, which has been specially designed for orthopaedic material screening, independently controls pin rotation, disc rotation, and dynamic pin loading. In addition, track patterns and loads (with a maximum of 450N or 100lb) can be customized and are fully programmable, closely mimicking the cross-shear motion experienced by biomaterials during implantation.

The coefficient of friction can be sampled periodically at each pin, and force and moment measurements can be made at the x, y, and z axes. The ADL-AMTI Hip Simulator has twelve test stations with four axes of control. There is vertical load, flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and interior/exterior rotation. Each test station includes an isolated environmental chamber with its own fluid pumping circuit. This AMTI Hip unit is able to simulate microseparation of the hip joint; microseparation can significantly contribute to the wear of prosthetic devices.

The ADL-AMTI Knee Simulator is a six station unit, the most advanced reliable and accurate method for evaluating the design and materials of knee implants. It is capable of 4000 N (1000lb) of axial load, simulates flexion, interior/exterior rotation and anterior/posterior translation of the knee. VST (Virtual Soft Tissue) allows for the inclusion of nonlinear and asymmetric force displacement characteristics, which occur In vivo.

Scanning Electron Microscope Installed...

October 2011 – A-state-of-the-art Scanning Electron Microscope (JSM 6610LV by JEOL Inc., Peabody, MA) was installed at the OIC. The large chamber and large stage design allows scanning samples 12” in diameter, 3” in height and 12 pounds in weight. SEM has a resolution of 3.0 nm at 30kV, 8nm at 3kV and 15nm at 1kV in the high vacuum SEM mode and 4.0 nm at 30kV in the low vacuum SEM mode. JEOL system is also fitted with EDS (energy dispersive x-ray analyzer) by Oxford Instruments, which provides ability to identify elements of the scanned samples. A carbon/gold sputter coater (Denton Vaccum Inc., Moorestown, NJ) was also acquired to cover a specimen with a very thin layer of carbon or gold. This layer increases electrical conductivity of the specimen, leading to improved image quality.

The Fortus 400mc 3D Printing System

August 2011 – The Fortus 400mc 3D printing system (Stratasys, Eden Prairie, MN) was installed. The system is capable of printing acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and PC-ISO which meets both ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI as an implantable material. The system is capable of printing with an accuracy of +/- 0.005 inch.

The Surfcom 2900SD2 Contact Profilometer System

June/July 2011 – The Surfcom 2900SD2 contact profilometer system (Zeiss Industrial Metrology LLC., Maple Grove, MN) was installed. The CNC-controlled contact profilometer is able to perform 2D and 3D roughness and contour scans according to JIS, DIN, and ISO standards for profilometry. The machine boasts a 0.025μm resolution for contour measurements, and a maximum 0.1nm resolution for 2D surface roughness measurements.

Laser Scanning System

May 2011 – The laser scanning system (ShapeGrabber Inc., Ottawa, ON) was installed. The system features a scan resolution of 20 μm and includes Geomagics Studio and Geomagics Compare. The laser scanning system enables reverse engineering and the 3D modeling of biological systems.

The Finite Element and Computational Simulation Cluster

April 2011 – The Finite Element and Computational Simulation Cluster were installed. The 48 computer core cluster (Silicon Mechanics Inc., Bothell, WA), greatly increases the computational capabilities of the OIC and enables the simulation of more complex problems. The Finite Element and Computational Simulation Suite includes Abaqus finite element software, Solidworks computer aided engineering software, Geomagics reverse engineering software, and Mimics biological system modeling software.

From left: Kurt Penner; Innovation, Energy and Mines Minister Dave Chomiak; Dr. Jan Brandt, and Martin Petrak look at replacement knees.

March 2011 – The Federal and Manitoba Provincial governments announced they will each contribute $2.5 million to the Concordia Hip and Knee Institute’s strategic initiative. The Concordia Foundation is matching the funds with $5 million of its own, bringing the total investment in the initiative to $10 million. The funding will support development of new technology.

Read the full news release online via the WRHA website, here.