coatings 76 and 78 the metallurgical composition can be maintained in a highly uniform manner throughout the ceramic coatings as a result properties such as hardness and wear resistance can be optimized to reduce or eliminate wear debris generation from the metallic surface beneath the ceramic coating the coating grain sizes can further be maintained in the nanometer 1 u00d7 10 u2212 9 meter range allowing the coatings to grow substantially void and pinhole free thus eliminating corrosion and ion leaching from the metallic surface beneath the ceramic coating the metallurgical composition can also be tailored to provide biologically active sites on the external surfaces 80 and 82 of the ceramic coating that attract and hold natural lubricants synovial or other extracellular fluids present in the tissue around the articulating elements these fluid retentive surfaces provide a continuously forming thin layer of lubrication 58 between the treated articulating elements that reduces or eliminates physical contact between the surfaces of the elements in this manner the generation and release of wear debris corrosion products and metallic ions into the body is reduced or eliminated the ibed process used to form a ceramic coating in and on the surfaces of the metallic articulating elements proceeds as a continuous uninterrupted two step process described in the following table ii fig4 is a cross section detail view of a coated surface according to another embodiment of the invention as shown in fig4 the orthopaedic implant 10 includes elements 84 and 86 in close proximity in this embodiment a multiple layer coating may be generated in and or on each articulating.