Existing medical device giants might have their own Si3N4 research initiatives or partnerships with other companies. Competition could lead to fierce price wars, delaying Sintx's profitability.
First off there is no competition in regards to Si3n4 at this time. Could there be one day, possibly. They can research Si3N4 but they'll have to come up with alternative formulation as Sintx patents would keep them from pursing much without Sintx. Honestly its easier for companies to simply license the tech than try to develop alternative formations in the shorter-term. Sintx been at this for decades.
Collaboration with companies like Solventum doesn't guarantee product adoption.
Nothings guaranteed except death. Solventum may not even be a partner but i find that unlikely as I doubt Hanson would want to compete against products with Si3n4 embedded in them. The reason the products will succeed is because of Si3N4's ability to kill bacteria and fungi which is a problem in both the catheter & wound care markets. Wound care and catheter markets are not likely as hard to enter as ortho device industry. That could be another reason for coatings to bridge the gap. Easier to get a coating cleared than a full implant and coatings can be applied to Sintx various "competitors" implants imparting those implants with the benefits of Si3n4.
While research indicates the potential of Si3N4, Sintx needs to demonstrate its cost-effectiveness and long-term performance compared to established materials.Switching to new materials requires strong clinical data and surgeon buy-in, which could take time.
The beauty of their coating products is they can be added to their competitor implants and thus do not have to replace those materials right away. However replacing those materials is something that needs to occur as soon as possible as the earths magnetic field is weakening and thus exposing metal implants to greater radiation and potential corrosion leading to biological disease.
When compounded with or applied to the surface of conventional inert biomaterials, silicon nitride’s improved osseointegration and resistance to bacterial colonization can be conferred to the resulting device. Another benefit of the coating method is that it allows for potential refinishing of existing devices to upgrade their functionality. Other filings in progress protect similar approaches to applying silicon nitride to metallic and polymeric substrates as part of SINTX’s broader strategy of expanding the applications where silicon nitride’s benefits can be realized.