Additive manufacturing of biomedical magnesium alloys
- Date: 4 February 2025, 14:00–17:00
- Location: Ångström Laboratory, 101132, Ångström
- Type: Docent trial lecture
- Lecturer: Francesco D’Elia
- Organiser: The Department of Materials and Engineering
- Contact person: Francesco D’Elia
Magnesium (Mg) alloys, as biocompatible, degradable materials, are considered ideal candidates for resorbable implants. The advantage of such implants stems from their ability to eliminate implant removal once its purpose is fulfilled, thereby reducing costs associated with second surgeries while improving patient comfort. With an increasingly aging population, the demand for resorbable implants is foreseen to rise steadily in the next decades.
Additive manufacturing (AM), as an emerging transformative technology in the biomedical sector, can address the challenges associated with such increased demand, through e.g., patient-specific design, on-demand fabrication, and fabrication of devices with unparalleled precision.
This lecture will introduce the current state-of-the-art of resorbable implants, while highlighting the potential for biomedical Mg alloys. An overview into the application of AM in the development of biomedical Mg alloys is provided, with emphasis on laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processing, as the most commonly used metal AM technique. Key topics will include the unique challenges associated with processing Mg alloys via L-PBF, along with the potential for L-PBF to provide novel biomedical solutions, including orthopaedic implants and tissue scaffolds.
The lecture is an obligatory teaching test for those applying for admittance as docent and it should be possible for students and others with basic academic education in the relevant field to follow it. The lecture lasts 40-45 minutes with subsequent discussion. The lecture will be given in English.
Chairperson: Professor Cecilia Persson
Representative of the Docentship Committee: Professor Subhrakanti Dey