AMTI’s patented* Virtual Soft Tissue (VST) control eliminates the need for mechanical springs by using an advanced software model to incorporate the constraining influence of the soft tissue that surrounds the knee. VST allows for the inclusion of nonlinear and asymmetric force-displacement characteristics, which occur in vivo, but cannot be recreated with conventional mechanical methods.

* U.S. Patent Number 7823460

Tuning time for force control simulators has traditionally been a major burden, often taking days of adjustment by an expert to get a single set of prosthetic specimens ready for testing. AMTI’s Adaptive Control Technology (ACT) is enabled with a single click and tunes the machine’s performance within about 30 cycles to levels of accuracy not obtainable with manual tuning. In most scenarios, the RMS error is less than 5 percent in both force control and displacement control modes of operation.

AMTI joint simulators are designed to replicate the physiological environment of the joint in addition to its motions. Each simulator station is oriented in the physiologically correct position and paired with a peristaltic pump for the recirculation of a temperature-controlled fluid bath that immerses the specimen contact areas.

AMTI simulators have a reputation for quality and longevity in the orthopedic implant testing community. All simulator motions are servo-hydraulically generated with long-life, laminar seal actuators than are rated to provide more than 10⁸ cycles.

The AMTI knee simulator comes completely configured for implant testing and includes many significant components that are optional when buying from other manufacturers.

• The six-station simulator comes with four additional load soak stations that only provide active compressive loading to specimens for later gravimetric comparison.
• Six multi-axis load cells are integrated into the simulator, one at each station. The six-component force sensors allow for the continuous or periodic measurement of the forces and moments of the x, y, and z axes.

AMTI knee simulators can be operated under both force and displacement control.

The knee simulator is capable of testing to all applicable ISO and ASTM standards, including ISO-14243-1, ISO-14243-3, ASTM F1715-00, ASTM F1800-04, and ASTM F1223-05. No additional standard-specific kits are required.

The AMTI ADL knee simulator is most widely used as a mechanical testing device for knee implants, but its range of motion makes it an excellent choice for simulation of shoulders, ankles, and other joints with similar ranges of motion.

AMTI offers state-of-the-art technical support through its ASAP service plan, which provides remote support from AMTI engineers and substantial discounts on preventative maintenance and other post-warranty service needs.

The ASAP plan is highly customizable and can be constructed to meet the specific requirements of your lab. The AMTI sales team will be happy to assist you in determining the options that provide the greatest benefit to you.

» Download a PDF of the full specifications.