Comparative Study between Hand-Casted and 3D-Printed Brushite Bioceramic Scaffolds and Implants

摘要

Brushite is a versatile bone replacement material which is biocompatible as well as biodegradable enabling complete bone healing. According to the variety of different defect complexities, there are several manufacturing techniques for bone grafts. In this study the authors present a direct comparison of two manufacturing procedures for brushite bioceramics: hand-casting and 3D-Powder Printing (3DP). Due to different processing regimes, mechanical properties as well as phase composition were influenced. 3D-printed samples showed a higher mechanical performance compared to hand-casted cements, which was attributed to higher degree of cement conversion. A further reinforcement of such 3D-printed samples was achieved by polymer impregnation, which in turn enabled the insertion of bone screws for implant fixation at the application site.