HIRESEBM

High resolution electron beam melting

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'HiResEBM is a partnership between EU SMEs and RTD providers with the aim of developing an electron beam melting (EBM) additive manufacturing process to enable the fabrication of high resolution medical implants with optimised porous structures directly from metal powder. Currently the design of medical implants with porous structures is limited by production technologies not being able to implement complex 3D structures. These complex structures are used to improve the initial fixation strength and the long term osteointegration properties of implants which lead to better quality of life for the patients. However, many patients undergo revision surgery within five years of receiving the original implant. The objective of HiResEBM is to produce an efficient manufacturing process that will allow any designed porosity to be incorporated into any part of an implant – giving complete freedom to design the ‘optimum’ implant. The consortium is composed of several companies with resources and experiences in different fields relating to the technical barriers to be overcome during the project, such as: - Expertise in electron beam gun design, to produce a new high precision EB system - R&D experience in additive manufacturing with fine powders - Coating processes used for the medical implant market The advantage of the new EBM system are that any theoretically designed medical implant with complex 3D porous structures will be able to be cost effectively manufactured using the EBM system. Current systems are capable of producing ~3000 parts per year and are able to recycle unused powder for further processing. The ever increasing mean population age and the prevalence of degenerative bone diseases means that the demand for implants is going to increase significantly and place an even greater burden on our EU health care systems. By introducing new manufacturing technology and improving the revision rates saving of the order of €240M a year are possible.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

The precise geometrical structure of pores in metallic medical implants is critical for integration of the living bone with the surface of the implant. EU-funded scientists are developing the required manufacturing technology.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Optimised porosity improves the initial fixation strength and the long-term performance of metallic medical implants, enhancing a patient's quality of life and increasing the time to revision surgery. Current manufacturing techniques are not able to achieve the required complex 3D pore structures. Scientists are developing additive manufacturing (AM) technology to optimise pore structures directly from the melt powder with EU funding of the project 'High resolution electron beam melting' (http://www.hiresebm.eu/ (HIRESEBM)) .

Electron beam melting (EBM) is an AM technique that applies successive layers of metal powder according to a computer-aided design file. The powder is then melted with an electron beam to produce complex geometries in near-final form, eliminating the need for post-processing and finishing techniques. HIRESEBM researchers are modifying a partner electron beam fabrication system to minimise beam spot size and enhance the distribution of the finer powders required for the medical implants.

Scientists worked on the design of novel high-intensity electron beam gun electrodes and gun column. Models of the gun and beam parameter characteristics enabled a design concept that can operate over a wide range of beam voltages. Finite element analysis has been successfully employed to design lenses and beam deflection coils to minimise aberration and improve positional accuracy.

The team has evaluated selected fine powders for medical use, and established safety protocols for fine powder storage, handling and use. The modified powder delivery system is under development with a focus on improving the density of packed powder and its flatness on the build plate.

HIRESEBM manufacturing technology will enable the production of optimised bone ingrowth structures for titanium medical implants. It will reduce manufacturing costs while enhancing product quality, providing important benefits for both SMEs and patients alike.