High crosslinking improves the wear resistance of UHMWPE, but causes a slight decrease in other mechanical properties.
For the same radiation level, these mechanical properties are strongly influenced by the crystallinity of the UHMWPE, which can vary between 42% and 54%.
Only careful control of the manufacturing process, particularly of the cooling rate, provides the best compromise for crosslinked UHMWPE between wear resistance and other mechanical properties¹.