Biodegradable implants in porous iron obtained by additive manufacturing
Project name: Biodegradable implants in porous iron obtained by additive manufacturing
Project code: GradImp
Project timeline: 2022 - 2024
Research group: Mechanical Design
Objective
Biodegradable devices have the potential to become successful candidates for temporary medical implant devices, as they are able to degrade in the human body upon tissue healing, reducing the costs of additional removal surgery. To accomplish the challenge of producing such complex structures, an advanced method of additive manufacturing (AM), such as sintered laser melting (SLM) will be used. This new line of research will evaluate the effect of the design of the iron scaffold, produced by additive manufacturing, in the resulting properties, to obtain the suitable characteristics for temporary bone implants. Prototypes will be developed and submitted to cytocompatibility and microbiology assays. The combination of biodegradable iron and additive manufacturing (AM) leads to a revolutionary change of metal implants in many aspects including materials, design, manufacturing, and clinical applications.