Evaluation of Powder Bed Fusion Using an Electron Beam for the Production of Polyaxial Angle-Stable Bone Plates

C. Fritz, T. Fischer, A. Bachmann, M. F. Zaeh

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

A central element in the surgical treatment of bone fractures is the functional design of bone plates. A novel approach is the use of polyaxial locking screws, which allow the surgeon to respond to different surgical situations. Furthermore, additive manufacturing enables the production of patient-specific bone plates. By combining both technologies, the surgeon benefits from patient-specific implants and the flexibility to react to surgery events. This study evaluates the combination of the two approaches. For this purpose, test specimens that replicate the bolting of the locking mechanism were constructed. These test specimens were subjected to tensile tests in order to determine the maximum forces that the bolted connection can withstand. Conventional bar material and additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V, which were processed through powder bed fusion using an electron beam (PBF-EB), were used as the base material for the test plates. The investigations showed that higher maximum forces could be achieved with the additively manufactured specimens.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLecture Notes in Production Engineering
PublisherSpringer Nature
Pages375-383
Number of pages9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Production Engineering
VolumePart F1160
ISSN (Print)2194-0525
ISSN (Electronic)2194-0533

Keywords

  • Additive manufacturing powder bed fusion using electron beam
  • Bone plate
  • Polyaxial locking screws
  • Pull-out force
  • Thread milling
  • Ti-6Al-4V

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