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Magnesium Filled Polylactic Acid (PLA) Material for Filament Based 3D Printing
Iulian Antoniac1, Diana Popescu2, Aurelian Zapciu3
1Physical Metallurgy, Department of Metallic Materials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania. antoniac.iulian@gmail.com.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 3, 2019
Summary
This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating magnesium-filled polylactic acid biocomposite filaments for 3D printing medical devices. The resulting anterior cruciate ligament screws maintained structural integrity during additive manufacturing.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Additive Manufacturing
- Polymer Composites
Background:
- Additive manufacturing (AM) offers design freedom for customized medical devices.
- Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biocompatible polymer suitable for medical applications.
- Magnesium (Mg) incorporation can enhance composite properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the viability of magnesium-filled polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites as filament feedstock for material extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM).
- To produce and characterize PLA + Mg + vitamin E filaments and 3D-printed medical implants (anterior cruciate ligament screws).
Main Methods:
- Filament extrusion of two PLA + Mg + vitamin E compositions.
- 3D printing of test samples and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) screws using a low-cost printer.
- Characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
Main Results:
- Good integration of magnesium particles within the PLA matrix was observed, potentially due to vitamin E.
- Despite non-uniform Mg distribution, the composite biomaterials maintained structural integrity during the AM process.
- Successful fabrication of functional ACL screws was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Magnesium-filled PLA biocomposites are viable feedstock for AM in medical applications.
- Vitamin E appears to aid in the integration of magnesium within the PLA matrix.
- The developed composite materials can be used to produce structurally sound medical implants via 3D printing.
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