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Published on: September 11, 2015
Shape/properties collaborative intelligent manufacturing of artificial bone scaffold: structural design and additive
Pei Feng1, Lingxi Liu1, Feng Yang1
1State Key Laboratory of Precision Manufacturing for Extreme Service Performance, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, People's Republic of China.
Artificial bone scaffolds offer an alternative to traditional grafts, overcoming limitations like donor site morbidity and infection risk. Advanced additive manufacturing techniques enable the creation of complex, patient-specific bone scaffolds with tailored properties.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Artificial bone grafts are crucial for bone defect repair, addressing limitations of autografts and allografts.
- Traditional methods struggle to replicate the complex shape and porous structure of natural bone.
- Additive manufacturing (AM) offers precise control over scaffold geometry and internal architecture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and analyze state-of-the-art design and AM methods for artificial bone scaffolds.
- To explore shape/properties collaborative intelligent manufacturing for bone scaffolds.
- To discuss challenges and future perspectives in AM of bone scaffolds.
Main Methods:
- Classification of scaffold design strategies (unit cell-based and whole structure-based).
- Identification of suitable AM techniques, including basic AM and 3D bioprinting.
- Analysis of existing literature on design and manufacturing of bone scaffolds.
Main Results:
- AM enables the fabrication of bone scaffolds with tailored external contours and controllable internal microporous structures.
- Combining advanced structural design with appropriate AM processes is key to achieving ideal biological and mechanical properties.
- Both unit cell-based and whole structure-based designs are viable, with basic AM and 3D bioprinting as recommended fabrication methods.
Conclusions:
- Additive manufacturing holds significant promise for creating advanced artificial bone scaffolds.
- Intelligent manufacturing integrating design and AM is essential for optimizing bone scaffold performance.
- Further research is needed to address challenges and unlock the full potential of AM in bone tissue engineering.
