Recent advances of metallic bio-materials in additive manufacturing in biomedical implants–A review

Abstract

During the last three decades, metal additive manufacturing (metal-AM) has evolved significantly. It has become possible to produce prototypes of products using metal-AM in combination with various manufacturing processes since the technology has matured enough to be used for complex geometries. Recent advancements in biomedical implants have attracted increasing attention to additive manufacturing (AM). The use of titanium and its alloys in biomedical implants, cobalt alloys, stainless steel 316L, nickel-titanium, and others is explored. A number of metal additive manufacturing processes are available, including Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and Electron Beam Melting (EBM). Moreover, the paper discusses the latest developments in metal-AM via direct metal laser sintering and the fabrication and characterization of a three-dimensional scaffold. There is increasing use of laser or electron beam melting techniques in the manufacture of metal implants, among all methods of additive manufacturing (AM). In the future, metal-AM is expected to provide various benefits to the biomedical industry.