Patent ID: 7497876

Claim:
A process for forming an element for a prosthetic implant having a bone-contacting portion provided with a plurality of upstanding portions each surrounded by a corresponding rim, wherein the upper surfaces of the upstanding portions and the rims together define an outer envelope for at least a part of the bone-contacting portion of the prosthetic implant, and wherein a basal surface comprises valleys each within a corresponding rim, said element forming a bone-contacting portion of said prosthetic implant, the element comprising a rear face, a front face, and a body extending between the rear face and the front face, wherein the front face comprises the basal surface and at least one upstanding portion projecting above the basal surface and having at least one transverse hole extending therethrough from a first side of the upstanding portion to a second side of the upstanding portion, said process comprising the steps of: (i) spreading a layer of metal powder on said basal surface of the front face of the element; (ii) selectively directing a laser to fuse the metal powder in a desired pattern to form a metallic layer overlying the basal surface of the front face; and (iii) repeating steps (i) and (ii) as required to build up metallic layers to form the upstanding portion of the front face projecting above the basal surface having at least one transverse hole extending therethrough.