Stryker Orthopedic produces plate implants for surgeons to use in hip and pelvic surgery. The extremely complex anatomy of the pelvic bone requires perfect anatomical reduction for optimum functionally.

The team at Stryker asked us to help them develop a new plate bending instrument with improved mechanical bending characteristics. It also had to be substantially lighter in weight, for better portability, and easy to dismantle for sterilisation.

Our team developed a bending instrument which reduced the friction by a factor of two, thus significantly reducing the bending force required. This consequently improved the manipulation required by the surgeon to bend the plate. We were able to reduce the weight of the device from 6.2 Kg to 4.2 Kg by casting the main body in aluminium. We used Chrome-nickel-steel for the high strain areas to ensure that the volume and stability during the bending is not compromised.