Laser Additive Manufacturing of Titanium Customised Implants: Structure Design, Material Process and Performance Optimisation

This PhD project is conducted in the Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery - Imaging & Pathology (OMFS-IMPATH), Biomedical Sciences Group, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven & UZ Leuven. Therefore, this PhD project is performed based on the cases of mandible reconstruction in this department using titanium mandible reconstruction plates (MRPs) customised by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printing - a branch of laser additive manufacturing (LAM) technology. It is a transdisciplinary topic spanning laser technology, materials processing, mechanical engineering, and biomedical sciences. More precisely, this PhD project tilts its attention onto the material and engineering study based on the clinical requirements for 3D-printed metal implants.

Mandible reconstruction is required after tumour resection, trauma or severe infections/osteonecrosis. There are two basic strategies for mandible reconstruction: without or with free fibula flap(s), which two strategies are all included in this PhD project. Traditionally, an off-the-shelf reconstruction plate implant is pre- or intra-operatively customised to bridge the defect (and fix the fibula) and thereby reconstruct the mandibular function and facial outcome. Before, the standard reconstruction plate is manually bent to match the patient’s anatomy. With the advent of LPBF, an end-use, customised, patient-specific MRP can be preoperatively fabricated according to the CT data of a patient, which technology allows significant clinical advantages but at the same time brings challenges.

In particular, the transdisciplinary background behind the technology itself and its use in clinic is still difficult to understand, which softens the potential of additive manufacturing. This PhD project fundamentally understands the scientific and technological connotations behind implant structure design, implant material process and performance optimisation in titanium metal implant customisation by laser additive manufacturing, especially for LPBF of MRPs.