Magnesium Filled Polylactic Acid (PLA) Material for Filament Based 3D Printing

The main objective of this research is to prove the viability of obtaining magnesium (Mg) filled polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites as filament feedstock for material extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM). These materials can be used for medical applications, thus benefiting of all the advantages offered by AM technology in terms of design freedom and product customization. Filaments were produced from two PLA + magnesium + vitamin E (α-tocopherol) compositions and then used for manufacturing test samples and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) screws on a low-cost 3D printer. Filaments and implant screws were characterized using SEM (scanning electron microscopy), FTIR (fourier transform infrared spectrometry), and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) analysis. Although the filament manufacturing process could not ensure a uniform distribution of Mg particles within the PLA matrix, a good integration was noticed, probably due to the use of vitamin E as a precursor. The results also show that the composite biomaterials can ensure and maintain implant screws structural integrity during the additive manufacturing process.