DESIGN OF POROUS PARTS BY 3D PRINTING OF A Ti-6Al-4V COMPOUND FOR BONE IMPLANTS
Summary
We present a work where a porous part of Ti64 was fabricated by 3D printing for biomedical applications and provide information about its microstructure, permeability and deformation after sintering. In this work, Ti64 parts were successfully manufactured with prefabricated channels of rhomboidal geometry and 3 different sizes. Microstructural characterization was carried out by scanning electron microscopy. The values of permeability and changes in the channels were performed by numerical simulation in the real 3D microstructure. The permeability of the part increases when the size of the prefabricated channels increases, as does the deformation suffered by the prefabricated channels. The results obtained ranged from 2.1 x10-9 to 3.2 x10-9 m-2, while the deformation of channels between 9 and 11% showed a greater contraction in the middle zone of the longitudinal axis of the piece.
Methodology
Ti64 pellets mixed with polymers were used as binders produced by the PolyMIM® company with a particle size ≤40 μm. The green compacts were manufactured on the AIM3D printer with a speed of 15mm/s, a layer thickness of 0.05mm and 3-way printing. The pieces were sintered in a Linseis L75 vertical kiln following the thermal cycle of previous works [6]. The permeability and distortion of the channels was performed by numerical simulation using the module "Simulation of an absolute permeability experiment" in the Avizo 2019 ® program.
Conclusions
The parts manufactured using 3D printing were successfully analyzed. This shows that this technique is a more economical alternative and with a greater possibility of geometries, presenting a result of permeability in the range in which human bones are found. Additionally, mechanical and corrosion tests are being carried out to establish the benefits of using this porous material processing technique.