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Selective laser sintering of hydroxyapatite reinforced polyethylene composites for bioactive implants and tissue scaffold development

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journal contribution
posted on 2009-05-21, 13:31 authored by L. Hao, M.M. Savalani, Y. Zhang, Russell Harris
Selective laser sintering (SLS) has been investigated for the production of bioactive implants and tissue scaffolds using composites of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HA) with the aim of achieving the rapid manufacturing of customized implants. Single-layer and multilayer block specimens made of HA-HDPE composites with 30 and 40 vol % HA were sintered successfully using a CO2 laser sintering system. Laser power and scanning speed had a significant effect on the sintering behaviour. The degree of particle fusion and porosity were influenced by the laser processing parameters, hence control can be attained by varying these parameters. Moreover, the SLS processing allowed exposure of HA particles on the surface of the composites and thereby should provide bioactive products. Pores existed in the SLS-fabricated composite parts and at certain processing parameters a significant fraction of the pores were within the optimal sizes for tissue regeneration. The results indicate that the SLS technique has the potential not only to fabricate HA-HDPE composite products but also to produce appropriate features for their application as bioactive implants and tissue scaffolds.

History

School

  • Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering

Citation

HAO, L. ... et al, 2006. Selective laser sintering of hydroxyapatite reinforced polyethylene composites for bioactive implants and tissue scaffold development. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 220 (4), pp. 521-531

Publisher

Professional Engineering Publishing / © IMechE

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Publication date

2006

Notes

This is an article from the journal, Proceedings of the IMechE, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine [© IMechE]. It is also available at: http://journals.pepublishing.com/content/119779/?p=af87321e69e1466d9e94a23de1efe9a6&pi=0

ISSN

0954-4119

Language

  • en