Simple additive manufacturing of an osteoconductive ceramic using suspension melt extrusion

Abstract

The tricalcium phosphate/fatty acid ink described here and its 3D printing may be sufficiently simple and effective to enable rapid, on-demand and in-hospital fabrication of individualized ceramic implants that allow clinicians to use them for treatment of bone trauma.

Composites of fatty acids and ceramic powders are versatile biomaterials for personalized implants and controlled release of pharmaceuticals

“…We conducted our mechanical strength studies with dense cylindrical implants to obtain a compressive strength value that could be easily compared to other studies and standard materials. The ideal implants would be made porous to promote bone formation throughout the implant, when made porous we expect lower strengths (about 50% based on the strengths measured on dense (24MPa) vs porous (11.4MPa) sintered TCP in this and our previous study [13], respectively. We would thus expect strengths in the vicinity of 3.3-5.3 MPa when are implants are made 50% porous.…”

“…This work presents a novel biocompatible implant matrix based on a composite of solid fatty acids and ceramic powders. We have previously demonstrated that this material may be sintered to yield a pure ceramic [13], but here we show that the material may also be used non-sintered with the fatty acid remaining in place. The implants were simple to manufacture using thermoplastic methods like casting and 3D printing.…”

“…We have recently applied a new method of additive manufacturing to produce tricalcium phosphate implants [13]. The technique relies on non-aqueous fatty acid suspensions of insoluble powders such as powdered tricalcium phosphate.…”

Role of implants surface modification in osseointegration: A systematic review

“…The advantages of AM are as follows: (a) this technology can theoretically deal with any material that is difficult to be machined as long as it is available in powder form; (b) AM could generate customized, complex, and precise shapes for an individual patient; (c) it is an uncomplicated process from design to fabrication, which can reduce the waste of energy and materials. Slots et al demonstrated that the implants underwent a rapid AM possessing clinically relevant mechanical strength and pure chemical character (Slots et al, ). Meanwhile, they contributed to the adhesion of MSCs, deposition of collagen, and secretion of alkaline phosphatase (ALP).…”

Treating mouse skull defects with 3D‐printed fatty acid and tricalcium phosphate implants

“…We recently discovered a new class of bioink that consists of solid particles, such as TCP powder, suspended in a solid fatty acid matrix (Jensen et al, 2018; Slots et al, 2017). When heated above the melting point of the fatty acid, the bioinks melt to become 3D printable by extrusion, even at very high solid loading (60% V/V ).…”