Sulzer Brothers Limited

Sulzer Innotec Ag

Gebrueder Sulzer Aktiengesellschaft

Werner Straub

John Antony Peters

Markus Windler

Hans-Walter Schlapfer

Bruno Sonderegger

Erich Bolle

Christoph Sprecher

Giorgio Arnosti

In the method for producing a surface structure, material is ablated by means of a liquid jet ( ). The jet ( ) is emitted from a nozzle ( ) under high pressure (p). In this an ablation location ( ) is controlledly moved on a surface ( ) of a substrate ( ) to be structured with the production of a predetermined macro-topography ( &prime;) or a largely planar surface, namely through moving the nozzle and/or the substrate. The substrate is in particular part of a surgical implant. The liquid of the high pressure jet ( ) is emitted at a predetermined diameter d of the nozzle with a sufficiently high pressure p so that through the material ablation a linear track ( ) with quasi-fractal micro-topography ( ) is produced. In this the track width D is at least twice as large as d. Values for p and d are provided in the following range: 100 bar<p<3000 bar and 0.1 mm<d<10 mm; or p>3000 bar and d>0.03 mm.

Method for producing a surface structure, in particular on a surgical implant

The object comprises a glass-metal film (1) with a metal matrix (2) which has solidified in an at least partly glass-like form and which may comprise hard particles (3, 3a) in the form of primary precipitates from the molten mass. The glass-metal film (1) is provided on at least one side (4) with a top layer (5) comprising a hard material which is harder than the glass-metal film (1). The top layer (5) may be formed by a base layer (7) with embedded hard material particles (8), e.g. of diamond or cubic boron nitride, or by a homogeneous hard material, e.g. diamond-like carbon. The result is a surface quality which can be separately influenced by the composition of the alloy of the glass-metal film (1). The object may be formed either as a parting tool or as a structural part with special wear and/or sliding properties.

Object with an at least partly amorphous glass-metal film

The metal strip which is made in the form of a foil has hard particles in the form of plenary deposits from a melt included in a metal matrix which has solidified in vitreous form and/or which is microcrystalline. At least 50% of the hard particles have a skeletal crystal shape with a length to width ratio of at least 5. The hard particles are securely adhered within the metal strip.

Method of making a metal alloy strip and a strip made thereby

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Oberstammheim, Switzerland

Werner Straub