ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF BIOACTIVE GLASSES AND SILICATE BIOCERAMICS

The application of a range of additive manufacturing technologies (AMTs), including Stereolithographic Ceramic Manufacturing (SLCM/LCM), 3D-Printing, indirect and direct Selective Laser Sintering/Melting (SLS/SLM), Dispense Plotting and Inkjet Plotting on bioactive glasses (BGs) and silicate bioceramics to fabricate a variety of dense and porous structures for biomedical applications (e.g. bone replacement materials) is reviewed. The specific characteristics of the technologies used, their advantages and disadvantages and the scope for future research in this field are discussed. Many studies have focused on 45S5 Bioglass due to its commercial availability, but other bioactive glass formulations and sol-gel derived BGs are also being considered in the context of AMTs. As the geometrical accuracy and mechanical properties of the fabricated parts vary greatly among the different AMTs, in-depth knowledge of the detailed capabilities of each production process targeted for BGs and other silicate bioceramic materials gives information on the basic requirements and challenges for establishing follow-up studies and for possible expansion of the application fields of such additive-manufactured structures.