Bioceramic 3D Implants Produced by Laser Assisted Additive Manufacturing

Abstract Cranial defect restoration requires a suitable implant capable to fulfill protective and aesthetic functions, such as polymeric and metallic implants. Nevertheless, the former materials cannot provide osteointegration of the implant within the host bone nor implant resorption, which is also required in pediatricorthopedics for normal patient growth. Resorbable and osteoconductivebioceramics are employed, such as silicate bioactive glasses. Nevertheless, manufacturing based on conventional casting in graphite moulds is not effective for warped shape implants suitable for patient tailored treatments. In this work, we analyze the application of rapid prototyping based on laser cladding to manufacture bioactive glass implants for low load bearing bone restoration. This laser-assisted additive technique is capable to produce three-dimensional geometries tailored to patient, with reduced fabrication time and implant composition modification. The obtained samples were characterized; the relationships between the processing conditions and the measured features were studied, in addition to the biological behavior analysis.