Investigation of Patient-Specific Maxillofacial Implant Prototype Development by Metal Fused Filament Fabrication (MF(3)) of Ti-6Al-4V

Additive manufacturing (AM) and related digital technologies have enabled several advanced solutions in medicine and dentistry, in particular, the design and fabrication of patient-specific implants. In this study, the feasibility of metal fused filament fabrication (MF(3)) to manufacture patient-specific maxillofacial implants is investigated. Here, the design and fabrication of a maxillofacial implant prototype in Ti-6Al-4V using MF(3) is reported for the first time. The cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) image data of the patient’s oral anatomy was digitally processed to design a 3D CAD model of the hard tissue and fabricate a physical model by stereolithography (SLA). Using the digital and physical models, bone loss condition was analyzed, and a maxillofacial implant initial design was identified. Three-dimensional (3D) CAD models of the implant prototypes were designed that match the patient’s anatomy and dental implant requirement. In this preliminary stage, the CAD models of the prototypes were designed in a simplified form. MF(3) printing of the prototypes was simulated to investigate potential deformation and residual stresses. The patient-specific implant prototypes were fabricated by MF(3) printing followed by debinding and sintering using a support structure for the first time. MF(3) printed green part dimensions fairly matched with simulation prediction. Sintered parts were characterized for surface integrity after cutting the support structures off. An overall 18 ± 2% shrinkage was observed in the sintered parts relative to the green parts. A relative density of 81 ± 4% indicated 19% total porosity including 11% open interconnected porosity in the sintered parts, which would favor bone healing and high osteointegration in the metallic implants. The surface roughness of Ra: 18 ± 5 µm and a Rockwell hardness of 6.5 ± 0.8 HRC were observed. The outcome of the work can be leveraged to further investigate the potential of MF(3) to manufacture patient-specific custom implants out of Ti-6Al-4V.