Additive Manufacturing of Metal Load‐Bearing Implants 1: Geometric Accuracy and Mechanical Challenges

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) of load‐bearing metal implants allows sustainable production of personalized implants with complex shapes and inner architectures. Implants must meet strict requirements to not harm patients, and production technique must certify their performance. Available materials, many production parameters and implant personalization on patient's needs represent limits of AM. Layer‐by‐layer material deposition and repeated thermal cycles typical of AM may also cause discontinuities between layers affecting implant mechanical features, and its match to the host body. In this paper the mechanical challenges that AM must overcome to replace traditional manufacturing techniques are discussed, in order to better understand whether AM has to be limited to implant personalization for exceptional cases.

Additive Manufacturing of Metal Load‐Bearing Implants 2: Surface Modification and Clinical Challenges

“…In these two companion papers, the properties of AM implants and prostheses reported in literature were reviewed to understand the extent to which AM processes are mature and may be used to produce metal load-bearing implants and prostheses that interface well with the host and are therapeutically effective. In the first paper [2], the mechanical properties were reviewed of metal implants produced by AM in comparison to CPs. In this second paper, the surface properties and the clinical performance of implants produced by AM were analyzed and compared to CPs.…”

“…In this study, it is reported a non-systematic review of published papers to evaluate the extent to which additive manufacturing techniques have been adopted in clinical practice. The methods used to select the papers for this study and to analyze that reported were presented and discussed in the first of these two companion papers [2]. Briefly, the Bibliometrix open-source R-based tool for bibliometric analysis [3] was used to gather information on research trends, relevant scientific topics, and contribution to advancements in AM sorted by material, process and country.…”