Nexxt Spine’s Nanomatrixx is manufactured to exacting specifications using 3-D printing technology to replicate the cellular structure of cancellous bone. This process makes it possible to create any three dimensional complex structure or geometry with a desired modulus of elasticity that cannot be created by traditional orthopedic manufacturing processes.
Nexxt Spine is on hand at this year's annual meeting of the North American Spine Society, held Oct. 14-17, in Chicago, Ill.
Following the manufacturing process, the material undergoes a series of proprietary treatments to produce a micro and nanosurface topography which stimulates mesenchymal stem cells to differentiate into bone forming osteoblast cells that produce bone growth onto and throughout the 3-D printed material.
“A glimpse inside of the Nanomatrixx material reveals its uniform 3-dimensional cellular architecture with 70 percent porosity,” said Robert L. Wertz, director of new product development. “The cubical shaped scaffold provides an optimal biomechanical and biological environment for uninterrupted blood flow. Every surface of the Nanomatrixx material exhibits a micro and nanotextured topography that’s designed to elicit a superior osteogenic response. This allows bone to attach to the internal struts and grow entirely through the material while simultaneously providing optimal mechanical support without the stress shielding effects experienced with traditional titanium implants. Conventional textured or coated implant surfaces only achieve bone to implant contact or on-growth; however, Nanomatrixx’s consistent open and interconnected network of pores within a specific size range have been found to be osteoconductive and osteoinductive, promoting bone on-growth and bone in-growth for total osseous integration. Bone has the potential to not only grow into the pores and around the struts, but also attach to the nanotextured strut surfaces.”
Nexxt Spine President Andy Elsbury reports that 100 percent of the company's spinal implants and 97 percent of all surgical instruments are manufactured in Nexxt Spine's new facility.
"This has eliminated our dependence on outside vendors and decreased the production times of spinal implants and surgical instruments exponentially," he said. "Many of our competitors are handcuffed by extremely long wait times because of dependence on outside manufacturing suppliers. We operate within a highly competitive market segment; as such, our manufacturing lead times create tremendous advantage by allowing us to gain favor with independent distributors across the U.S. and the orthopedic and neuro spine surgeons they serve.”
According to Elsbury, Nexxt Spine has seen "tremendous growth" each year since the firm's move into an expanded facility in 2013, where all operational functions including engineering and manufacturing in a state-of-the-art facility in Noblesville, Ind.
“A considerable investment in cutting-edge technology over the past two years has paid dividends as it has eliminated the potential for product backorders and removed variables out of the forecasting process,” said Sarah Caito, director of inside sales. “On-site manufacturing and advances in inventory management now allow us to produce any of our 1,400 spinal implant designs and 97 percent of our 1,800 surgical instrument designs within a 24-hour time frame.”
“As our new product development efforts and commitment to on-going improvements to legacy products provide the foundation for growth within the marketplace, our process improvement initiatives have tremendously decreased the time from surgeon input to product delivery, creating a solid foundation for exponential future growth," Wertz said.