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What Is Oxinium™ Material?

Oxinium™ oxidized zirconium is a metallic alloy with a ceramic surface that provides wear resistance without brittleness.

Oxinium™ material combines the best of both metal and ceramics. It is a metal, with excellent fracture toughness like cobalt chrome, but it has a ceramic surface that offers outstanding wear resistance.

image of Oxinium profile

The ceramic is an enhanced surface that is part of the metal substrate rather than an external coating, making it very durable with unusual damage tolerance.

  • Zirconium: a biocompatible metallic element in the same family as titanium.
  • Zirconia: a ceramic compound, wear-resistant but brittle.
  • Zr-2.5Nb: a metallic alloy of zirconium, with niobium and oxygen for increased strength.
image of non-invasive oxide inspection

Quality Control for Oxinium™ Components

Extensive research and development indicated four critical control points to ensure a consistent quality product, as follows:

  1. Raw materials inspection
  2. Pre-oxidization surface preparation
  3. Oxidization process
  4. Post-oxidization surface burnishing All components undergo inspection to ensure that the ceramic oxide is uniform and the correct thickness. A non-destructive laser measurement technique provides a means for 100% quality assurance inspection of components.

All components undergo inspection to ensure that the ceramic oxide is uniform and the correct thickness. A non-destructive laser measurement technique provides a means for 100% quality assurance inspection of components.