Significant
attention has been drawn in recent years to develop
porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. In general, porous scaffolds
are used for non-load bearing applications. However, various metallic
scaffolds have been investigated extensively for hard tissue repair
due to their favorable mechanical and biological properties. Stainless
steel (316L) and titanium (Ti) alloys are the most commonly used material
for metallic scaffolds. Although stainless steel and Ti alloys are
employed as scaffold materials, it might result in complications such
as stress shielding, local irritation, interference with radiography,
etc. related to the permanent implants. To address the above-mentioned
complications, degradable metallic scaffolds have emerged as a next
generation material. Among the all metallic degradable scaffold materials,
magnesium (Mg) based material has gained significant attention owing
to its advantageous mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility
in a physiological environment. Therefore, Mg based materials can
be projected as load bearing degradable scaffolds, which can provide
structural support toward the defected hard tissue during the healing
period. Moreover, advanced manufacturing techniques such as solvent
cast 3D printing, negative salt pattern molding, laser perforation,
and surface modifications can make Mg based scaffolds promising for
hard tissue repair. In this article, we focus on the advanced fabrication
techniques which can tune the porosity of the degradable Mg based
scaffold favorably and improve its biocompatibility.