Motivation

The use of graded materials with locally adapted properties can offer great added value for a variety of different applications. In biomedical engineering, such graded materials are of particular interest for implants, since the bimodal porous structure of bones can be reproduced and thus local mechanical properties such as stiffness or strength. For the development of implants, the stresses that occur during usage must be known and taken into account during construction.    

Objectives

In the field of human medicine, the majority of newly manufactured implants are based on components with standardized sizes and shapes. In this project, implants with patient-specific features in terms of shape, size and mechanical properties will be created using Additive Manufacturing processes. The PhD project focuses on two main research questions:

·         How can CT-scans be used for the operationalization of restrictions and specification of individualized implant geometries?

·         How can Additive Manufacturing be used to manufacture density varied areas in the implants for optimizing (bio-) mechanical behavior?