A comparative study of surface cleaning treatments for 3D printed medical implants

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Abstract

In the field of Additive Manufacturing (AM), one of the major applications of laser-based 3D metal printing is the creation of custom implants for medical purposes. However, a significant challenge in the manufacturing of implants using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is the formation of partially melted particles on the surface of medical implants. These particles result in a multitude of issues including plurality of structurally weak points on the designed implants, obstruction of important design features, and possibility of dislodgement over the service life span, thereby posing a threat to the recipient. To address the above challenges, it is imperative to develop a simple but effective surface cleaning method to remove partially melted particles from the surface without damage to the designed medical implants. In this work, a comparative study was conducted to investigate the effect of both chemical and electro-plasma based cleaning processes on the removal of partially melted particles from the surfaces of 3D printed Ti-6Al-4V medical screw implants. These techniques include chemically polishing implants with HF-HNO3 acid solutions and using an electroplasma based cleaning process. With the field of additive manufacturing rapidly expanding, this work offers valuable insight on proper post-process treatment of 3D printed parts for future medical purposes in biomedical fields.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

ASME 2017 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2017

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