Patent ID: 8486152

Claim:
An orthopedic implant comprising: a first bone contacting plate including: a first metallic substrate with a thickness of at least 1 mm; a first diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer coated onto the first metallic substrate, the first DLC layer having a thickness of less than 10 microns; and a first internal locking member; a second bone contacting plate including: a second metallic substrate with a thickness of at least 1 mm; and a second diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer coated onto the second metallic substrate, the second DLC layer having a thickness of less than 10 microns; and a second internal locking member adapted to interlock with the first internal locking member to allow a limited displacement and rotation of the first and second bone contacting plates relative to each other; and a resilient core comprising a further layer of polymeric material applied to the first and second DLC layers so as to join the first and second bone contacting plates, the resilient core disposed between the first and second bone contacting plates; wherein the first DLC layer promotes a chemical bond between the polymeric material of the resilient core and said first bone contacting plate, and the second DLC layer promotes a chemical bond between the polymeric material of the resilient core and said second bone contacting plate.