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Selective Laser Micromelting Creates Medical Implants

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Selective laser micromelting enables processing of new materials that could be useful in medical implants.

Platinum
An electrode head coated with platinum-iridium using selective laser micromelting. Courtesy of Laser Zentrum Hannover.

Researchers at Laser Zentrum Hannover EV and the University of Rostock used the additive process to coat electrodes for pacemakers with a platinum-iridium alloy.

This  represents the first time platinum has been successfully processed at the microscale, the researchers said. Platinum could be useful for pacemakers because it has excellent electrical conductivity characteristics and is bioinert.

Selective laser micromelting was also used to produce 3D lattice structures made of nickel-titanium (NiTi) with 90-μm resolution.

NiTi is a shape-memory alloy, a material that returns to its original shape after deformation. Already widely used in medical technology, NiTi presents new for micro implants such as custom stents and bone replacements.

Nickel-titanium
A three-dimensional structure made of nickel-titanium.

The micromelting technique was also applied to the creation of stainless stent structures with a closed cell design and mechanical characteristics similar to those of conventional stents. 

The work was carried out under the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research's REMEDIS project.

For more information, visit www.lzh.de.


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Published: July 2015
Glossary
additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that involves creating three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer. This is in contrast to traditional manufacturing methods, which often involve subtracting or forming materials to achieve the desired shape. In additive manufacturing, a digital model of the object is created using computer-aided design (CAD) software, and this digital model is then sliced into thin cross-sectional layers. The...
selective laser melting
Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that belongs to the powder bed fusion category. SLM is primarily used for metal additive manufacturing, where complex three-dimensional structures are built layer by layer by selectively melting metal powder particles using a high-powered laser. Key features of selective laser melting include: Powder bed fusion: SLM is a powder bed fusion process. It starts with a thin layer of metal powder spread...
3d printing
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is a manufacturing process that builds three-dimensional objects layer by layer from a digital model. This technology allows the creation of complex and customized structures that would be challenging or impossible with traditional manufacturing methods. The process typically involves the following key steps: Digital design: A three-dimensional digital model of the object is created using computer-aided design (CAD) software. This...
Research & TechnologyEuropeGermanyLaser Zentrum HannoverLZHUniversity of RostockLasersadditive manufacturingselective laser meltingSLMselective laser micromeltingBiophotonics3d printingBioScanEuro News

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