Patent ID: 7603192

Claim:
A method of making an orthopedic implant for a bone comprising the steps of selecting a plurality of samples of the bone and taking a CT scan of each of the samples of the bone; using the output from the CT scan to generate a 3D graphical solid body model of each of the samples of the bone; placing the 3D graphical models into a category of one or more of a first category, a second category and a third category, determining the center of mass for each 3D graphical model, and generating an X, Y and Z plane for each model; placing the 3D graphical models for one category into an assembly and aligning each of the 3D graphical models in that category at the center of mass to create a categorized composite 3D graphical solid body model of the bone; forming a plurality of cross sections of the categorized composite 3D graphical model and building cross sections which are assembled to create a lofted contoured surface and cutting the lofted contoured surface to create a categorized implant form; fitting the categorized implant form on the categorized composite 3D graphical model and on the 3D graphical model of each of the samples of the bone in a category to check for conformity to the surface of the bone; using the categorized implant form to create a design of the implant; and using the design of the implant to make the implant.