Characterization of sintered hydroxyapatite samples produced by 3D printing
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to characterize sintered hydroxyapatite (HA) samples produced by three-dimensional printing (3DP). This study is part of a project concerned with the fabrication of calcium phosphates implants by 3DP. However, before considering a more complex structure, like scaffolds or implants, a thorough knowledge of the role played by the sintering temperature on physical and mechanical the properties of porous HA is necessary.
Design/methodology/approach
The characteristics of sintered HA samples have been analyzed by means of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and uniaxial compression tests. The 3DP parameters used to produce the HA samples were those who led to higher accuracy and mechanical stability.
Findings
Sintering temperature and powder morphology are critical factors influencing densification behavior, porosity, phase stability, mechanical strength and tangent modulus of the HA samples produced by 3DP. This study allowed us to conclude about the 3DP parameters to be used to produce porous HA specimens with the required integrity and dimensional accuracy, and the optimal post-processing sintering temperature which led to the best results in terms of porosity, microstructure, phase stability of HA and mechanical properties.
Originality/value
This paper provides a method to evaluate the manufacturability of calcium phosphate models produced by 3DP.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Portuguese National Science Foundation (FCT) for funding this work and to Ceramed for the materials and technical support.
Citation
Pires, I., Gouveia, B., Rodrigues, J. and Fonte, R. (2014), "Characterization of sintered hydroxyapatite samples produced by 3D printing", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 413-421. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-05-2012-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited