A novel strategy to improve the success of soft and hard tissue integration of titanium implants is the use of nanoparticles coatings made from basically any type of biocompatible substance, which can advantageously enhance the properties of the material, as compared to its similar bulk material. So, most of the physical methods approaches involve the compaction of nanoparticles versus micron-level particles to yield surfaces with nanoscale grain boundaries, simultaneously preserving the chemistry of the surface among different topographies. At the same time, nanoparticles have been known as one of the most effective antibacterial agents and can be used as effective growth inhibitors of various microorganisms as an alternative to antibiotics. In this paper, based on literature research, we present a comprehensive review of the mechanical, physical, and chemical methods for creating nano-structured titanium surfaces along with the main nanoparticles used for the surface modification of titanium implants, the fabrication methods, their main features, and the purpose of use. We also present two patented solutions which involve nanoparticles to be used in cranioplasty, i.e., a cranial endoprosthesis with a sliding system to repair the traumatic defects of the skull, and a cranial implant based on titanium mesh with osteointegrating structures and functional nanoparticles. The main outcomes of the patented solutions are: (a) a novel geometry of the implant that allow both flexible adaptation of the implant to the specific anatomy of the patient and the promotion of regeneration of the bone tissue; (b) porous structure and favorable geometry for the absorption of impregnated active substances and cells proliferation; (c) the new implant model fit 100% on the structure of the cranial defect without inducing mechanical stress; (d) allows all kinds of radiological examinations and rapid osteointegration, along with the patient recover in a shorter time.
Sports have become an important part of most people's lives. Every performance athlete goes through a series of workouts with different sports equipment meant to help their physical condition. Thus, the development of automated sports equipment that can throw a ball with a specific preset speed and trajectory is necessary to facilitate the work of the coach. The paper presents the additive manufacturing process of components for a ball machine prototype used for training athletes. Most of the components in the product's power system are made by additive manufacturing, this choice being conditioned by the appearance of innovative, customized component elements, used in the drive system. Material extrusion is used due to the custom shapes and sizes, specific to the developed product, which innovatively influence the principle of hitting the ball. Fusion 360 is used to design all components, taking into consideration material extrusion technological requirements and design principles. A basic static finite element analysis is performed on the main paddle component to ensure that it can withstand the stress scenario and the results showed that when using HIPS filament, the limit conditions are fully met. CAD files are saved as *.STL files and introduced in Z-Suite software for parameter optimization according to the functional role of each component. The optimized *.ZCODEX files are sent to Zortrax M300+ machines for material extrusion 3D printing of the components. The final result is a functional prototype of a device that is obtained using mainly additive manufacturing.
The aim of this article is to analyze the behavior of baffle solution assembled on a pump module inside an automotive fuel tank. The originality comes from the baffle design which is adapted to a serial life tank definition to decrease the slosh noise impact generated by over storage of kinetic energy. The hypothesis that stays at the basis of the static analysis is to evaluate the deformation and the yielding strength considering a calculated maximum possible theoretical force existent in the fuel tank. The added value of this study is to identify the limitations of the technical solution to decide if design modifications for further studies should be considered for physical tests.
Cranioplasty is a surgical procedure used to repair cranial defects left behind after injury or previous surgeries. Postoperative results of cranioplasty have been drastically improved with the usage of custom made cranial implants, which can replicate the missing bone almost identical in shape. Materials used for these custom implants vary depending on the used technology. Additive manufactured implants are generally made with metal alloys powders. The present research conducts a Finite Element Analysis study in regard to modification of intracranial pressure conditions, in normal range between 7 mm Hg to 15 mm Hg, in four impact stress scenarios of fixed custom cranial implants. Two new cranial implant concepts are proposed by the authors, one with a sliding system and one with osteointegrating structures. Stress scenarios aim at evaluating implant behaviour in critical conditions such as a person falling from a certain height or an object being dropped, generating an impact point on the surface of the implant. Deformations, displacements and equivalent strain were analysed. Scenarios 1, 2 and 4 provided results within the limit values for Von Misses stress and equivalent strain for both cranial implant concepts and both considered materials, Ta and Ti6Al4V. ICP values are in limits for all four stress scenarios, due to the small values of the implants� deformations.
The design and development process of custom-made medical devices is very complex and often requires the use of additive manufacturing to obtain a customer compliant product. One of the key stages, but also very time consuming in the development of bespoke medical products, is the data acquisition of the patients' specific anatomy. The current research paper presents a detailed process of upper body data acquisition using 3D scanning protocols, with the goal of designing a custom smart spinal orthosis using generative design and additive manufacturing technologies. The initial captured cloud points are subjected successively to a series of surface manipulation and mesh optimization operations to generate the final working 3D model of the upper body. Each stage of the 3D model is obtained using a specific software application, as follows: *.DICOM images are generated using a 3D scanner software; *STL files are obtained by transforming initial files using MeshMixer software; *.STEP files are optimized using Fusion 360. Shape validation is done by 3D printing of a real scale upper body anatomical prototype using material extrusion. Authors also proposed a generative design process for the development of a personalized vertebral body from the construction of the smart spinal orthosis. The generative study is initialized with the following data: connection type, stress scenarios, material type (metals -Ti, Al, Steel; composites -ABS, PET, HIPS), and manufacturing technology (additive, subtractive, injection molding). A set of 49 converged outcomes is generated after running the study and three are selected for further research.
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