Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corp., Vancouver, Wash. (americas.kyocera.com) says it will be the North American representative of Japan Medical Materials Corporation (JMM) for the sales of its biocompatible ceramic-structural components used in orthopedic systems. Kyocera provides components to manufacturers of medical implants, products that include “total hip” and “total knee” joint replacements. The components use a many biocompatible ceramics including alumina and zirconia, bioactive coatings such as hydroxyapatite, medical-grade alloys such as titanium and vanadium-free titanium, and medical-grade ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.