Indirect selective laser sintering of apatite-wollostonite glass-ceramic.

This paper develops an indirect selective laser sintering (SLS) processing route for apatite-wollastonite (A-W) glass-ceramic, and shows that the processing route, which can create porous three-dimensional products suitable for bone implants or scaffolds, does not affect the excellent mechanical and biological properties of the glass-ceramic. 'Green parts' with fine integrity and well-defined shape have been produced from glass particles of single-size range or mixed-size ranges with acrylic binder in various ratios by weight. A subsequent heat treatment process has been developed to optimize the crystallization process, and an infiltration process has been explored to enhance mechanical strength. Three-point bending test results show flexural strengths of up to 102 MPa, dependent on porosity, and simulated body fluid (SBF) tests show that the laser sintered porous A-W has comparable biological properties to that of conventionally produced A-W.

Indirect selective laser sintering of an apatite-mullite glass-ceramic for potential use in bone replacement applications.

The feasibility of using indirect selective laser sintering (SLS) to produce parts from glass-ceramic materials for bone replacement applications has been investigated. A castable glass based on the system SiO2 x Al2O3 x P2O5 x CaO x CaF2 that crystallizes to a glass-ceramic with apatite and mullite phases was produced, blended with an acrylic binder, and processed by SLS. Green parts with good structural integrity were produced using a wide range of processing conditions, allowing both monolayer and multilayer components to be constructed. Following SLS the parts were post-processed to remove the binder and to crystallize fully the material, evolving the apatite and mullite phases. The parts were heated to 1200 degrees C using a number of different time-temperature profiles, following which the processed material was analysed by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, and tested for flexural strength. An increase in strength was achieved by infiltrating the brown parts with a resorbable phosphate glass, although this altered the crystal phases present in the material.