PROJECT TITLE:

Additive Manufacturing of Magnesium based Biodegradable Implants with Controlled Corrosion Rate and Infection

 

PROJECT ACRONYM:

AMMBI

 

PROJECT SUMMARY:

The project objective is to obtain advanced orthopaedic and maxillofacial biodegradable implants with high biological and mechanical compatibility, from a new Mg alloy, using 3D Printing Near Net Shape technology. For medical performance, the new implants will have controlled degradation rate, osteoconductive and antibacterial functionalized surface. The project consortium gathers multidisciplinary scientific teams from Romania and Navarre (R&TD units and SMEs). The main scientific activities are: design the new biodegradable Mg alloy composition; design of Mechanical Alloying technology to obtain Mg powder alloy; design and development of the 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology to obtain the new Mgbased implants by Selective Laser Melting technique; design and experimental development of the surface multibiofunctionalization of the new AM / Mg-based implants, selected from 3 parallel investigated methods: SolGel, Electrospinning, and a combination of Physical Methods (Thermal Oxidation, HVOF and PVD), each with customized composition. The project plan provides the integration of the developed technologies in a fabrication chain for obtaining a demonstrator product.

 

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS:

The project intends to achieve the following specific objectives: (1) the obtaining of a new composition of a high performance biodegradable Mg-based alloy (from the system Mg-xZn-yZr-zCa), starting with initial design and ending with final mechanical alloying-MA of powder components for Mg alloy – a technology approached for the first time in Romania for Mg powder alloys; (2) the applying of the novel performance 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing (3D-P-AM) technology, based on SLM-Selective Laser Melting technique,  for obtaining biodegradable implants from new Mg-based alloy – a new approach in Romania and Navarre; (3) the applying of a series of multifunctional treatments to coat the Mg-based implant surface with original coating composition, using advanced deposition techniques – chemical and physical, firstly used in this combination in the research works for Mg-based implants in Romania, Navarre and worldwide; (4) the obtaining at laboratory scale of a final and real demonstrator product-biodegradable implant made of the new performance alloy, with high biological and mechanical compatibility and with a multi-functional surface;(5) demonstration of the superiority of the proposed technology/fabrication chain over other conventional already existent, by a complex advanced characterization program.

The report concerning the design of the chemical composition for the Mg-based alloy; samples of the Mg-based alloy, with different compositions obtained by mechanical alloying; technologic flux for mechanical alloying; technologic flux for 3D Printing (Selective Laser Melting); samples printed 3D; reports of mechanical and microstructural characterization; report concerning the optimal chemical composition of the biodegradable Mg-based alloy; the selection for the optimal parameters for the synthesis technology of mechanical alloying / Lot-test-1 for the biodegradable Mg-based alloy; the selection for the optimal parameters for the 3D Printing technology / Lot-test-1 for the biodegradable Mg-based alloy printed 3D; reports for microstructural and mechanical characterization of the test lots; the design of the implant (product-demonstrator); design and obtaining of the samples configuration for the biological tests; report of presentation of laboratory technology for synthesis by mechanical alloying of the biodegradable Mg-based alloy / Lot-test-2 for the biodegradable Mg-based alloy; report of presentation of laboratory technology for 3D printing of the biodegradable Mg-based alloy / Lot-test-2 for the biodegradable Mg-based alloy-printed 3D; reports for the microstructural and mechanical characterization of the test lots un-coated and coated with original coating composition ; implant (product-demonstrator)/un-coated /coated; reports for the implant characterization; report of presentation for the integrated laboratory technologies; dissemination of the scientific results.


PROJECT COORDINATOR:
UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI 

 

PROJECT CONSORTIUM:

National partners:

1. INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE- DEZVOLTARE PENTRU MICROTEHNOLOGIE - IMT BUCURESTI INCD 

2. ZIROON DENT S.R.L.

 International partners:

1. Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain

2. Vacío y termoquímica de Navarra, Spain

 

FUNDING AGENCY (Romania):

Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding

 

PROJECT DURATION:
 24 months;

 

PROJECT BUDGET (Romania):
Budget funding: 250.000,00 € / 1.217.500,00 lei;

Total budget: 275.000,00 € / 1.339.250,00 lei;

 

 

PROJECT DIRECTOR:
Prof.dr.eng. Doina RADUCANU
e-mail: doina.raducanu[at]upb.ro;