In-situ alloying of beta titanium for implant application via laser powder bed fusion

Abstract

By manufacturing biomedical β-Ti alloys with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), the "stress shielding" problem can be alleviated through compliance matching between bones and the implant. The "stress shielding" effect occurs when the stiffness of an implant is higher than that of the bone. This will lessen the load being bore by the bone, leading to bone resorption and ultimately implant loosening. For the author's research, manufacturing of β-Ti using LPBF was done by in-situ alloying due to its