Porous biocompatible implants and tissue scaffolds synthesized by selective laser sintering from Ti and NiTi

An investigation of the technical aspects of producing sufficiently high strength porous biocompatible medical implants and tissue scaffolds from nitinol or pure titanium using selective laser sintering/ melting (SLS/M) is presented. In particular, the necessary processing parameters and procedures for successful laser synthesis of functionally graded implants have been established. Physical and mechanical properties, microstructure, corrosion behavior of the synthesized structures, as well as shape memory in porous layered nitinol structures made using laser synthesis are reported. Comparative morphological and histological results of SLS of porous titanium and nitinol made implants are also presented. Investigations were carried out on primary cultures of dermal fibroblasts and mesenchymal stromal human cells. The possibility of cultivating bone marrow on the porous carrier-incubator made from NiTi and pure titanium in vitro was determined. Sufficient understanding of the nature of laser synthesized titanium and nitinol structures was developed in order to determine their suitability for use as functional implants. This resulted in superior tissue to implant fixation and the development of minimally invasive surgical procedures.