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Biocompatible, wear-resistant, ultrahard, and high-lubricity coatings can be applied to metal surgical implants, medical instruments, probes, and accessories by Tecvac Ltd. (Swavesey, Cambs, UK; www.tecvac.co.uk) that has developed physical-vapour-deposition (PVD) coating technology. The firm uses controlled environments and advanced surface cleaning systems to ensure coatings achieve strict performance standards. The high-integrity, high-adhesion Nitron coatings, ranging in thickness from 1 to more than 30 µm, can be made from very hard materials such as titanium nitride, chromium nitride, or highly lubricious diamond-like carbon (DLC), which can have a coefficient of friction as low as 0.01. They coat metals such as titanium, steel, nickel, and aluminium. DLC coatings with hardness values as great as 4500 HV are compatible with human tissue. The PVD technology is also suitable for depositing additional coating materials such as aluminium, gold, silver, carbides, nitrides, and other elements and compounds.
