The Effect of Powder Reuse on Electron Beam Melting for Biomedical Implants

Abstract

The ability of additive manufacturing to generate intricate structures has led to its popularity and widespread use in a variety of applications, ranging from the production of biomedical implants to aircraft components. Additive manufacturing techniques can overcome the limitations of the traditional manufacturing methods to create complex near-net-form structures. A vast array of clinical applications effectively employ Ti-6Al-4V as a biomaterial. The evolution of additive manufacturing has accelerated the development of patient-specific implants. The surface characteristics play a critical role in tissue healing and adaptation to implants. The present research set out to examine the effects of powder recycling with respect to the powder itself and the surface properties resulting from the electron beam melting (EBM) of the implant material. The printed implants, as well as the powder samples, underwent morphological, surface chemistry, and microstructure analyses. The in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated with THP-1 macrophages. The overall microstructure of the implant samples showed little variation in terms of powder recycling based on the results. Higher oxygen levels were found in the solid and lattice sections of those implants manufactured with batches of recycled powder, along with marginally better cell viability. This emphasizes how crucial powder quality is to the process of additive manufacturing.