SiNtx Technologies Inc (SINT)

[SmokerX]

Its a logical move Zimmer being at the forefront of Si3N4 hip seeing as its one of the biggest players.

Or it cannibalizes their existing products or market share. The cost of retooling, development and marketing may outweigh the financial benefit of the possibility of reduced lawsuits for remediation in failures of product in their mind.

I don't know. I dont claim to be a financial risk reward assessor accountant or mind reader at Zimmer.

Although Biolox® Delta ceramic is more resistant to fractures than alumina ceramic, it can be fractured under suboptimal implantation conditions including edge loading. Its use requires the same precautions as other hard-on-hard bearings and requires special attention to cup position, insertion on or in morse tapers and adjustment of leg length.

Something interesting to note in the discussions on COC or adding a plastic liner. According to this data set. Sounds like the addition of the plastic liner either adds some fudge room for less than optimal positioning or acts as a buffer against potential shattering.

Thus, when an artificial joint is loaded, the polyethylene is squeezed between the rigid metal component and the supporting material (bone, cement, or metal backing), and in the region of contact, the articulating surface of the polyethylene is forced to conform to the shape of the metal surface. The resulting deformation causes compressive, tensile, and shear stresses in the polyethylene.

Large-diameter bearings can be successful if the wear rate is low.

Periprosthetic osteolysis and aseptic loosening are serious problems affecting the outcome of total joint replacement. Polyethylene particulate debris generated from metal-on-polyethylene bearing surfaces and the resulting biologic response to this debris are thought to be largely responsible.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4174255/