3D Printing Technologies in Metallic Implants: A Thematic Review on the Techniques and Procedures

Overview

Journal Int J Bioprint

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2021 Feb 15

PMID 33585711

Citations 21

Authors

Shokouh Attarilar

Mahmoud Ebrahimi

Faramarz Djavanroodi

Yuanfei Fu

Liqiang Wang

Junlin Yang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is among the most attractive methods to produce implants, the processes are very swift and it can be precisely controlled to meet patient's requirement since they can be produced in exact shape, dimension, and even texture of different living tissues. Until now, lots of methods have emerged and used in this field with diverse characteristics. This review aims to comprehensively discuss 3D printing (3DP) technologies to manufacture metallic implants, especially on techniques and procedures. Various technologies based on their main properties are categorized, the effecting parameters are introduced, and the history of AM technology is briefly analyzed. Subsequently, the utilization of these AM-manufactured components in medicine along with their effectual variables is discussed, and special attention is paid on to the production of porous scaffolds, taking pore size, density, etc., into consideration. Finally, 3DP of the popular metallic systems in medical applications such as titanium, Ti6Al4V, cobalt-chromium alloys, and shape memory alloys are studied. In general, AM manufactured implants need to comply with important requirements such as biocompatibility, suitable mechanical properties (strength and elastic modulus), surface conditions, custom-built designs, fast production, etc. This review aims to introduce the AM technologies in implant applications and find new ways to design more sophisticated methods and compatible implants that mimic the desired tissue functions.

Citing Articles

Impact of mechanical engineering innovations in biomedical advancements.

Kennedy S, Vasanthanathan A, Jeen Robert R, Vignesh Moorthi Pandian A In Vitro Model. 2025; 3(1):5-18.

PMID: 39872067 PMC: 11756506. DOI: 10.1007/s44164-024-00065-4.

The science of printing and polishing 3D printed dentures.

Sulaya K, B V S, Nayak V F1000Res. 2025; 13:1266.

PMID: 39839733 PMC: 11748432. DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.157596.1.

Molding Quality and Biological Evaluation of a Two-Stage Titanium Alloy Dental Implant Based on Combined 3D Printing and Subtracting Manufacturing.

Wei H, Huang S, Liu Y, Li D ACS Omega. 2025; 9(52):51591-51603.

PMID: 39758616 PMC: 11696423. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c09131.

Influence of Detonation Spraying Parameters on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hydroxyapatite Coatings.

Sagdoldina Z, Kot M, Baizhan D, Buitkenov D, Sulyubayeva L Materials (Basel). 2024; 17(21).

PMID: 39517664 PMC: 11547398. DOI: 10.3390/ma17215390.

Bioprinting of Cells, Organoids and Organs-on-a-Chip Together with Hydrogels Improves Structural and Mechanical Cues.

Mierke C Cells. 2024; 13(19.

PMID: 39404401 PMC: 11476109. DOI: 10.3390/cells13191638.

References

Horn T, Harrysson O . Overview of current additive manufacturing technologies and selected applications. Sci Prog. 2012; 95(Pt 3):255-82. PMC: 10365362. DOI: 10.3184/003685012X13420984463047. View

Hwang H, Zhu W, Victorine G, Lawrence N, Chen S . 3D-Printing of Functional Biomedical Microdevices via Light- and Extrusion-Based Approaches. Small Methods. 2018; 2(2). PMC: 6078427. DOI: 10.1002/smtd.201700277. View

Chan C, Hussain I, Waugh D, Lawrence J, Man H . Effect of laser treatment on the attachment and viability of mesenchymal stem cell responses on shape memory NiTi alloy. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2014; 42:254-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2014.05.022. View

Cheng A, Humayun A, Cohen D, Boyan B, Schwartz Z . Additively manufactured 3D porous Ti-6Al-4V constructs mimic trabecular bone structure and regulate osteoblast proliferation, differentiation and local factor production in a porosity and surface roughness dependent manner. Biofabrication. 2014; 6(4):045007. PMC: 4296567. DOI: 10.1088/1758-5082/6/4/045007. View

Ran Q, Yang W, Hu Y, Shen X, Yu Y, Xiang Y . Osteogenesis of 3D printed porous Ti6Al4V implants with different pore sizes. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2018; 84:1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.04.010. View

Marin E, Fusi S, Pressacco M, Paussa L, Fedrizzi L . Characterization of cellular solids in Ti6Al4V for orthopaedic implant applications: Trabecular titanium. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2010; 3(5):373-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2010.02.001. View

Noor N, Shapira A, Edri R, Gal I, Wertheim L, Dvir T . 3D Printing of Personalized Thick and Perfusable Cardiac Patches and Hearts. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2019; 6(11):1900344. PMC: 6548966. DOI: 10.1002/advs.201900344. View

Wang D, Wang Y, Wu S, Lin H, Yang Y, Fan S . Customized a Ti6Al4V Bone Plate for Complex Pelvic Fracture by Selective Laser Melting. Materials (Basel). 2017; 10(1). PMC: 5344552. DOI: 10.3390/ma10010035. View

Wang X, Ao Q, Tian X, Fan J, Wei Y, Hou W . 3D Bioprinting Technologies for Hard Tissue and Organ Engineering. Materials (Basel). 2017; 9(10). PMC: 5456640. DOI: 10.3390/ma9100802. View

10.

McGilvray K, Easley J, Seim H, Regan D, Berven S, Hsu W . Bony ingrowth potential of 3D-printed porous titanium alloy: a direct comparison of interbody cage materials in an in vivo ovine lumbar fusion model. Spine J. 2018; 18(7):1250-1260. PMC: 6388616. DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.02.018. View

11.

Habijan T, Haberland C, Meier H, Frenzel J, Wittsiepe J, Wuwer C . The biocompatibility of dense and porous Nickel-Titanium produced by selective laser melting. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2014; 33(1):419-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2012.09.008. View

12.

Niinomi M, Nakai M . Titanium-Based Biomaterials for Preventing Stress Shielding between Implant Devices and Bone. Int J Biomater. 2011; 2011:836587. PMC: 3132537. DOI: 10.1155/2011/836587. View

13.

Ni J, Ling H, Zhang S, Wang Z, Peng Z, Benyshek C . Three-dimensional printing of metals for biomedical applications. Mater Today Bio. 2020; 3:100024. PMC: 7061633. DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2019.100024. View

14.

Otsuki B, Takemoto M, Fujibayashi S, Neo M, Kokubo T, Nakamura T . Pore throat size and connectivity determine bone and tissue ingrowth into porous implants: three-dimensional micro-CT based structural analyses of porous bioactive titanium implants. Biomaterials. 2006; 27(35):5892-900. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2006.08.013. View

15.

Wang P, Wu L, Feng Y, Bai J, Zhang B, Song J . Microstructure and mechanical properties of a newly developed low Young's modulus Ti-15Zr-5Cr-2Al biomedical alloy. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2016; 72:536-542. DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2016.11.101. View

16.

Shah F, Omar O, Suska F, Snis A, Matic A, Emanuelsson L . Long-term osseointegration of 3D printed CoCr constructs with an interconnected open-pore architecture prepared by electron beam melting. Acta Biomater. 2016; 36:296-309. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2016.03.033. View

17.

Sohling N, Neijhoft J, Nienhaus V, Acker V, Harbig J, Menz F . 3D-Printing of Hierarchically Designed and Osteoconductive Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds. Materials (Basel). 2020; 13(8). PMC: 7215341. DOI: 10.3390/ma13081836. View

18.

Taniguchi N, Fujibayashi S, Takemoto M, Sasaki K, Otsuki B, Nakamura T . Effect of pore size on bone ingrowth into porous titanium implants fabricated by additive manufacturing: An in vivo experiment. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2015; 59:690-701. DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2015.10.069. View

19.

Wally Z, Haque A, Feteira A, Claeyssens F, Goodall R, Reilly G . Selective laser melting processed Ti6Al4V lattices with graded porosities for dental applications. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2018; 90:20-29. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.08.047. View

20.

Sun L, Parker S, Syoji D, Wang X, Lewis J, Kaplan D . Direct-write assembly of 3D silk/hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone co-cultures. Adv Healthc Mater. 2012; 1(6):729-35. PMC: 3739986. DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201200057. View