The paper describes how the process parameters affects the mechanical characteristics of laser selective sintered (SLS) parts used in applications of medical, automotive and aerospace fields. The greatest advantage of the additive manufacturing (AM) technology in the medical field is that it allows the use of the patient's medical CT images to obtain specific implants, providing high benefits for both patients and physicians. Despite its increasing use and advantages, the AM process has a series of problems such as: the difficulty in obtaining quality part, process interruption or manufacturing part failure. As such, there have been developed experimental researches in order to establish a correlation between the process parameters and the finished part properties. For this analysis, PA 2200 polyamide specimens were obtained by SLS and subjected to tensile tests. The results correlate the process parameters, providing proof that the tensile properties of SLS specimen are dependent of orientation, position and preheating temperature. Based on the correlation between the process parameters and properties of the PA2200 polyamide, this paper provides a better understanding of the AM process and allows an anticipation on the best parameters to be used on different parts, leading the optimizing of component properties for medical applications.

Abstract. In this paper the benefits of using additive manufacturing technologies in maxillofacial reconstruction are highlighted. Based on a real clinical case, the paper describes the manufacture of an implant prototype replacing the right zygomatic bone and a part of maxilla using additive manufacturing technologies. The face is the most expressive part of the human body that makes us unique. It was shown that the maxillofacial prostheses help to improve the psychological state of patients affected by, because low self esteem feeling appears commonly to this patients with the facial defects. The aim of this paper is to show how using additive manufacturing technologies methods within this research, the producing a surgical model will help surgeon to improve the pre-operative planning. For this we used additive manufacturing technologies such as Stereolitography to achieve the biomodel and FDM-fused deposition modelling to obtain a prototype model because these technologies make it possible to obtain prosthesis according to the physical and mechanical requirements of the region of implantation.

The target normal sheath acceleration is a robust mechanism for proton and ion acceleration from solid targets when irradiated by a high power laser. Since its discovery extensive studies have been carried out to enhance the acceleration process either by optimizing the laser pulse delivered onto the target or by utilizing targets with particular features. Targets with different morphologies such as the geometrical shape (thin foil, cone, spherical, foam-like, etc.), with different structures (multi-layer, nano- or micro-structured with periodic striations, rods, pillars, holes, etc.) and made of different materials (metals, plastics, etc.) have been proposed and utilized. Here we review some recent experiments and characterize from the target point of view the generation of protons with the highest energy.