MCD Apatitic Abrasive

Biocompatible Micro-Abrasive for Enhancing Medical Implant Surfaces

Our MCD Apatitic Abrasive is a granular, multi-phase calcium phosphate principally composed of hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate.

MCD Apatitic Abrasive granules are used by medical device manufacturers around the world to enhance implant surface morphology in support of better osseointegration, optimal macro/micro surface roughness, and more effective biological fixation.

  • MCD Apatitic Abrasive is a white, free-flowing, granular abrasive powder with a blue-green tint, and irregular particle shape.

  • MCD Apatitic Abrasive can be manufactured in a range of sizes from 53 μm–425 μm. A complete listing of standard size ranges are available in our company catalog, and custom sizes are available upon request.

  • MCD Apatitic Abrasive will provide a residue-free textured surface after ASTM F86 passivation, free of any contaminant embedded in the implant surface.

Resorbable Blast Media (RBM) Versus Alumina or Silicon Carbide Grit

Himed’s MCD Apatitic Abrasive is a form of resorbable blast media (RBM) that utilizes biocompatible calcium phosphate materials rather than the alumina or silicon carbide materials found in conventional grit-blasting abrasives. Such conventional abrasives leave behind embedded insoluble particles that cannot be fully removed from a titanium implant surface—even after passivation.

RESULTS OF ABRASIVE BLASTING WITH ALUMINUM OXIDE GRIT ON TITANIUM

In addition to the obvious disadvantage of introducing a residual contaminant to the titanium surface, these conventional abrasives run the risk of inhibiting biological fixation or shedding in vivo.

By contrast, Himed’s apatitic abrasive is engineered to be hard enough to render a textured surface on titanium or PEEK, but can be thoroughly removed via passivation, leaving a residue-free surface well suited for increased cellular proliferation.

Increasing SEM magnifications highlight the level of aluminum oxide grit (dark areas on surface) embedded within the surface of a Ti64 spinal spacer model following grit-blasting.

RESULTS OF MICRO ABRASIVE BLASTING WITH APATITIC ABRASIVE ON TITANIUM

Increasing SEM magnifications of an area of Ti64 spinal spacer following micro abrasive blasting with MCD Apatitic Abrasive and the subsequent passivation steps. Not only is the surface free of abrasive residue, the resultant texture offers an ideal surface for cellular attachment.

APATITIC ABRASIVE MATERIAL COMPATIBILITY

Himed manufactures MCD Apatitic Abrasive to be as hard as possible, making it exceedingly effective as a residue-free, biocompatible micro abrasive for texturing:

  • TITANIUM

  • TITANIUM-ALLOYS

  • POLYETHERETHERKETONE (PEEK)

Preserving Medical Device Details When Micro Abrasive Blasting

Medical devices are designed with exacting specifications to optimize healing outcomes. A critical consideration in choosing any post-processing operation is the maintenance of those physical parameters in the device design.

Himed’s MCD Apatitic Abrasive has been specifically engineered to be hard enough to optimize the surface texture of materials like titanium and PEEK, without significantly impacting the dimensional accuracy of delicate shapes like thread pitch or porous lattice connections. Additionally, our apatitic abrasive comes in a range of particle sizes to allow for a wide variety of resultant surface textures, and it is compatible with a variety of masking strategies for tight control over the application areas.

Whether used as a final processing step for unifying surface texture, or as a precursor to adding a coating of osteogenic material like hydroxyapatite, MCD Apatitic Abrasive offers a level of nuance and control that far surpasses conventional grit-blasting mediums.

Two pedicle screws demonstrating the difference between an untreated threaded surface (top) and a threaded surface following post-processing with MCD Apatitic Abrasive (bottom). The lower pedicle screw now evidences a visible micro texture from the abrasive blasting process, but without any significant loss of dimensional accuracy along the threads.

An Ideal Micro Abrasive for Post-Processing 3D-Printed Medical Devices

A spring 2023 comparison study by Himed, using scanning-electron microscope imagery and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) spot analysis, demonstrated the superiority of MCD Apatitic Abrasive over other industry-accepted abrasives for cleaning 3D-printed titanium medical devices without leaving embedded abrasive particulate.

LEFT: 100x SEM magnification of a 3D-printed Ti64 lattice structure that shows the prevalence of loosely-adherent material beads, a natural artifact of the printing process. RIGHT: A corresponding 100x SEM magnification of the 3D-printed Ti64 lattice structure following post-processing with MCD Apatitic Abrasive. The titanium surface now demonstrates a uniform textured topography, with all molten beads removed.

The study highlighted its ability to effectively remove residual beads and other surface irregularities from the titanium surface while maintaining the device's original shape and dimensions. This exceptional performance, made possible in part by a lower hardness rating on the Mohs scale than traditional grit-blasting media, makes it a preferred choice for medical device manufacturers seeking precision and reliability in their post-processing methods.

Following Himed’s 2023 study, MCD Apatitic Abrasive was recognized for its exceptional contribution to medical device post-processing with the Judges’ Choice Award for Product of the Year at the annual BIOMEDevice Innovation Showcase. Chosen by a panel of industry experts, the award celebrated the groundbreaking capabilities of this proprietary abrasive in enhancing the surface morphology of 3D-printed titanium and titanium-alloy medical implants.

Let Himed Handle Your Dental & Orthopedic Implant Grit-Blasting

Himed can provide exacting apatitic grit-blasting services using our proprietary MATRIX MCD® and MATRIX Dual® processes. Our fully automated system and custom-built masking can cleanly texture implant surfaces, preparing them for implantation or to receive a bioactive coating such as hydroxyapatite.

Logo for Himed’s MATRIX MCD® surface abrasive process
Logo for Himed’s MATRIX Dual® enhanced medical device surface customization process

Scientific Studies Utilizing MCD Apatitic Abrasive

The references below link to research studies which discuss resorbable blast media (RBM) surface treated implants – specifically with the use of Himed’s MCD Apatitic Abrasive: