Indirect Additive Manufacturing (AM) of Apatite-Wollastonite (A-W) Glass-Ceramic for Medical Implants

摘要

Bone replacements for congenital defects, cancer resections, and traumas are typically performed using bone grafting. However, due to scarcity of the source material, synthetic materials for bone replacements are sometimes used instead. Unfortunately, the ability to engineer anatomically correct pieces of viable and functional human bone are difficult and time-consuming through conventional manufacturing methods. This paper proposes an alternative route which incorporates the use of AM technology for fabricating patient-specific implants. The implants were computer-aided design (CAD) from a stereolithography (STL) file of a mandible. AM method was combined with lost wax casting (LWC) technology to produce the customised A-W glass-ceramic implants. An initial study of sintered A-W was performed on cylindrical samples show on average 19.8% porous with on average 75% of the porosity being open and an average flexural strength of 82.6 MPa. The A-W scaffoldsdisplay a degree of macro- and micro porosity. The geometrical shape of the A-W implants shows a close resemblance to the required implant. Additive manufacturing assisted fabrication of A-W glass-ceramic provides a promising method for manufacturing customised medical implants.