Platform Technologies

tifix® Locking Technology

tifix® - A Long History of Success Leading Up to K2M

  • In 1886, Carl Hansmann developed the original concepts of plate fixation in Germany
  • In 1931, thread-in-thread fixation of screws to plates was patented by Paul Reinhold in Paris
  • The late 1990's marked the first surgical uses of tifix® locking screw implants patented by Prof. Dr. D. Wolter in Germany
  • Today, tifix® is a globally recognized and accepted technology

K2M's Success

  • First used in K2M's PYRENEES® Cervical Plate System
  • Based on the success of tifix® with PYRENEES, the technology was then incorporated in the CAYMAN® Plate Systems, CASPIAN® Occipital Plate System, and CHESAPEAKE® Stabilization Systems

Simple • Quick • Effective

  • Flexibility to insert screws at various angles and lock them to the plate
  • One step locking mechanism - no secondary locking feature necessary
  • Capable of repeated screw adjustment without compromising the locking mechanism
  • No bend zones required for precise plate contouring

tifix® Fusion - How it Works

1. MACRO LEVEL
Plate is made of Commercially Pure (CP) Grade II Titanium. Screw is made of Titanium Alloy. The plate metal is softer than the screw metal. When inserted, the screw engages and reshapes the lip of the screw hole.
2. MICRO LEVEL
Under the force of screw insertion, the screw and plate metals interact. The friction produces instantaneously high temperatures that melt the metals and allow them to "fuse".
3. EXAMPLE
Think of a car engine, which has metal pistons inside metal cylinders to help the engine run. Without oil to lubricate the pistons, they will seize up or "fuse" with the cylinder walls. A similar interaction takes place with tifix® between the plate and the screw.
4. MAGNIFIED 18X
Under magnification, we can see the physical bond between the plate and screw. tifix® is not a cold weld as the bond between the metals can be broken with sufficient force.

Detailed information is available on the links below

CASPIAN® CAYMAN® Anterior CAYMAN® Buttress CAYMAN® Lateral CHESAPEAKE® Anterior-Lumbar CHESAPEAKE® Cervical-Ti
PYRENEES® Constrained PYRENEES® Translational