ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF COATED METAL ORTHOPEDIC IMPLANTS: A REVIEW

Abstract

Currently, the problems of developing and improving technologies for the production of medical implants are acute all over the world, since the health of the population is the main priority of society.  The purpose of this review article is to critically analyze the current scientific literature presenting the main scientific trends in the production of orthopedic implants, in order to identify the main challenges and find ways to improve the manufacturing of well-engrafted implants. The article analyzes current trends in the use of metal and ceramic biocompatible materials for medical implants and their coatings manufacturing, draws conclusions about the need for scientific rationale for the choice of material, composition, porosity, and roughness of the coating. It is shown that in recent years the use of additive manufacturing in the field of orthopedics has increased significantly. The advantages and challenges of applying this trend for orthopedic implants manufacturing are shown. It is shown that another current trend is thermal plasma spraying of multilayer biocompatible on the implant surface, as well as the spraying process robotization. It is concluded that together, these two approaches can solve the problem of obtaining patient-specific metal implants with improved surface biocompatibility  that will not be rejected by the human body and will help to reduce the patient’s recovery time.