“Baking” New Bones From Metal Powder

July 14th, 2008

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research have developed a simulation program that calculates the internal structure and density distribution of bone material and, from that, the scientists were able to derive the material structure for other components….

This involves coating a surface with wafer-thin layers of special metal powder. A laser beam heats, or sinters, the powdered metal in the exact places that need to be firm.

“It’s like baking a cake,” says Andreas Burblies, spokesman for the Fraunhofer Numerical Simulation of Products, Processes Alliance. Any remaining loose powder is subsequently removed. “The end product is an open-pored element,” explains Burblies. “Each point possesses exactly the right density and thus also a certain stability.”

The method allows the engineers to produce particularly lightweight components, customized for each application, that are also extremely robust. In the meantime, the researchers have further enhanced the process to the point where they can actually change the internal structure of the parts after production by means of precision drilling.

“We can manufacture and adapt the parts exactly as required,” says Burblies. This makes the technique very attractive to a number of industries, among them the manufacturers of bone implants.

link

{Intriguing: Humans have a built-in “compass” in their nose}