Review—Metal Additive Manufacturing of Titanium Alloys for Control of Hard Tissue Compatibility

Abstract

Metal additive manufacturing is a powerful tool for providing the desired functional performance of hard tissue biomaterials through a three-dimensional structural design. It is essential to use the interactions between living organisms and materials for functional hard tissue reconstruction. In particular, anisotropic high-performance materials that imitate bone tissue properties are required for regaining bone functionality based on collagen/apatite microstructure. This review article describes the current development of controlling hard tissue compatibility by additive manufacturing of titanium alloys, including our recent findings on the bone medical devices for guiding the anisotropic bone microstructure.

 

This Paper was Originally Published in Japanese in J. JILM 72 (2022) 339–343. The title was changed due to the addition of “Review—”.

Fig. 4 Various factors that control anisotropic bone microstructure. Bone orientation is tightly controlled by various kinds of genes, diseases, cell adhesion mechanisms, and cell-cell communication molecules. These are the most important factors to consider in developing hard tissue compatible bone medical materials.