Mohawk supports innovative research in metal 3D printed implants - In the News

Metal 3D printed implants are already considered a surgical game changer. Now, new research from a joint collaboration between Mohawk College and McMaster University is showing how new combinations of materials and manufacturing techniques can improve the chance of osseointegration – the process of creating bone ingrowth into a metal implant.

Simon Coulson, General Manager of the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) at Mohawk College, partnered with researchers at McMaster University to evaluate the suitability of Ti-553, a titanium alloy, for use in 3D printed implants.

Most 3D printed implants are manufactured using the Ti64 titanium alloy powder. The McMaster University research team wanted to understand if the topography (or surface features) of Ti-553 could improve the osseointegration of implants. Because Ti-553 is not a commercially available material for Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), they partnered with Mohawk College to produce the metal samples needed for the research study. Simon and his team validated the additive manufacturing process parameters needed to produce components from this novel material and manufactured the samples for the study.

The findings, along with the parameters for Ti-553, were recently published in Nanotechnology, an academic journal, and also published in 3D Printing Industry and in Metal AM magazine online.