Materials properties and biomechanics of stemmed implant devices

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The integration of bone tissue with biomedical implant devices, such as dental implants, is a complex phenomenon that is dependent on the materials and mechanical properties of the implant. As manufacturing costs of implant devices translate directly to high costs for patients, new technologies such as additive manufacturing may provide an avenue for Canadian companies to decrease the production cost of implant devices. Rapid prototyping, such as 3D printing, is quickly becoming a viable additive manufacturing process capable of producing complex shapes without wasting raw materials. In this project, a new 3D printed titanium dental implant device produced by the company Stemmed Implant Technologies, Inc. (SIT) will be investigated. The choice of material and particulate size used to produce the devices has a huge effect on the mechanical properties of the device and an ultimate effect on how bone will integrate with the material in its end use. The company is faced with a challenge in selecting appropriate materials, and evaluating their impact on the design of the device going to production. This project aims to identify the influence of materials selection, such as feedstock chemistry and particle size, on the distribution of mechanical forces throughout the implant system to advise on the most appropriate raw material and final product geometry. As a materials expert in the field of dental and orthopaedic implant materials, under my guidance this study will assess the influence of materials selection on the final product properties, and suggest improvements to the design and production process to produce a final product that distributes loads appropriately in an implant scenario, and understand how the material influences biocompatibility. High resolution imaging techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a customized X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) in-situ loading system will be used to investigate the devices. Bringing these new implant geometries, produced at low cost via additive manufacturing, to market faster represent a unique economic opportunity in the medical device industry for Canadian companies such as SIT, and will translate to direct health benefits to Canadians.