Selective Laser Melting Molding of Individualized Femur Implant: Design, Process, Optimization

Effective Selective Laser Melting (SLM) molding methods for femur implant design and molding can improve femur implant surgery success rates and enhance patients quality of life. In this study, an individualized femur implant and individualized biological fixed-type femur implant were designed using the parametric modeling method. The implants were then directly manufactured via SLM molding technology as the forming process was carefully analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed implant allows for favorable conjunction of the reconstructed implant model with the surrounding bone tissues under the premise of a relatively small amount of bone-cutting. The proposed implant also shows even pore distribution, good overall connectivity, relatively high bearing capacity, favorable overlapping between supports, and strong inter-pore connectivity. Only a small amount of powder adheres onto the surface and can be directly used after simple sand blasting and polishing. The comprehensive analyses of femur implant modeling and molding methods given in this paper may provide a sound foundation for the design and direct manufacture of individualized femur implants in the future.