Selective Laser Sintering of PA 2200 for Hip Implant Applications: Finite Element Analysis, Process Optimization, Morphological and Mechanical Characterization.

Răzvan Păcurar,Ovidiu Nemeş,Cristina Borzan,Petru Berce,Anna Petrilak,Ancuţa Păcurar,Marta Harničárová

doi:10.3390/ma14154240

Abstract

Polyamide 12 (PA 22000) is a well-known material and one of the most biocompatible materials tested and used to manufacture customized medical implants by selective laser sintering technology. To optimize the implants, several research activities were considered, starting with the design and manufacture of test samples made of PA 2200 by selective laser sintering (SLS) technology, with different processing parameters and part orientations. The obtained samples were subjected to compression tests and later to SEM analyses of the fractured zones, in which we determined the microstructural properties of the analyzed samples. Finally, an evaluation of the surface roughness of the material and the possibility of improving the surface roughness of the realized parts using finite element analysis to determine the optimum contact pressure between the component made of PA 2200 by SLS and the component made of TiAl6V4 by SLM was performed.

Highlights

Sinterstation 2000 equipment (DTM Corporation, Austin, TX, USA). This demonstrates the importance of the part orientation and technological parameters used to realize the parts by Selective laser sintering (SLS)
Five samples of each batch series were tested in order to check the repeatability of the results
What was really interesting was the fact that using the same technological parameters, but different orientations and positioning of the samples on the working platform of the machine led to different results in terms of the mechanical characteristics, according to the tests that were performed for compression

Summary

Introduction

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing (AM) method that is widely used to produce prostheses for human bone replacement for skull and hip joint implants [1,2,3,4,5,6]. SLS technology allows obtaining all the required components of a total hip replacement with the same equipment [7]. This advantage makes SLS technology one of the most competitive AM technologies used in the medical domain. The use of a biocompatible material for SLS is one of the most important conditions for substituting bone structure by surgical intervention [8]. Biocompatible materials must perform as a substrate to support the appropriate cellular activity and to optimize tissue generation [10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion