Development of Bio-Compatible Beta Ti Alloy Powders for Additive Manufacturing for Application in Patient-Specific Orthopedic Implants

Abstract

The use and application of alloys as biomedical alloys have increased over the past few years owing to their excellent biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, high mechanical and fatigue resistance, low density, adequate wear resistance, and low elastic modulus. Orthopedic implant materials are exposed to high mechanical loading. Conventional materials based on Ti-6Al-4V, stainless steel or cobalt-chromium alloys demonstrate good mechanical strength, but also some toxicological concerns due to release of toxic elements which may result in inflammatory reactions. Metal alloys based on titanium, zirconium, tantalum and niobium represent higher biocompatibility with appropriate mechanical properties for avoiding stress-shielding and consecutive implant loosening. Application of specifically designed spherical β-titanium alloy powders in additive manufacturing, such as selective laser melting (SLM) or electron beam melting (EBM); enable the production of components with a high degree in freedom of design. Accordingly, SLM or EBM of Ti/Nb (/Ta) alloys offer the possibility to fabricate patient-specific orthopedic implants. The present paper describes development of β-titanium alloys powders designed for application in additive manufacturing technologies. TiNbZrTa (TNZT)-based 3D structures were successfully manufactured and mechanically tested.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing of a Low-Modulus Ti–35Nb–7Zr–5Ta Alloy for Orthopedic Applications

“…Tosoh has developed a new technology for the successful production of powders from the TNZT alloy with the cast ingots as the starting material, and the details are available elsewhere. 59 Solid rectangular blocks were fabricated with an EOS M280 L-PBF machine at Intech Additive Solutions (Bangalore, India). The AMOpto-Met proprietary software developed at Intech Additive Solutions was used to predetermine and optimize the laser beam parameters for AM.…”

“…Particle size distribution analysis revealed particle sizes between 8 and 300 μm with a mean size of 90 μm. Tosoh has developed a new technology for the successful production of powders from the TNZT alloy with the cast ingots as the starting material, and the details are available elsewhere . Solid rectangular blocks were fabricated with an EOS M280 L-PBF machine at Intech Additive Solutions (Bangalore, India).…”

Comprehensive review on alloy design, processing, and performance ofβTitanium alloys as biomedical materials

“…The preparation of pre-alloyed powders by techniques such as gas atomisation is rarely employed. Recently, powder of a β Ti alloy with nominal composition of Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta was successfully prepared by gas atomisation [118]. The alloy powders can then be either cold compacted by applying pressure [109][110][111][112]114,119], injection moulded [120,121], or directly filled in the die for sintering [47,113,115].…”

Corrosion of Cast Aluminum Alloys: A Review

“…Corrosion behavior of AM alloys are mainly devoted to Ti and Mg base alloys due to their intrinsic application in automotive, aeronautic, and biomedicine fields [56][57][58][59][60][61].…”

“…New methods are reported to reduce porosity level and surface roughness as have been detailed by Ma et al [96] using the novel technique of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) to induce high strain rate plastic deformation on a DMLS-AlSi10Mg metal surface showing a potential benefit for corrosion behavior and wear and fatigue resistance. Atzeni et al [97] use an abrasive fluidized bed (AFB) finishing of DMLS-AlSi10Mg and Rafieazad et al [86] to manage a post-printing process as is friction stir processing (FSP) [60].…”