Our Projects
Below are a few of our past projects showcasing how our technical expertise has helped support the development and evaluation of medical devices and biomaterials.
01
NanoCT of 3DP Porous PEEK for Polymer Overmolding
Traditionally, biomaterials such as ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), are pressed into metal backings by direct-compression molding (DCM) to form orthopedic implants. However, metals are costly, can cause disturbances and artifacts in medical images, and can cause stress shielding
due to mismatches in moduli between itself and the bone it aims to replace. To overcome these issues, we present a hybrid-manufacturing method that utilizes additive manufacturing to fabricate ‘gold-standard’ medical polymer, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) custom inserts with tailor-specific interfaces to be DCM’d with UHMWPE. The micro-CT images display the top-down (top row) and side (middle row) profile of the UHMWPE overmolded PEEK backing, as well as the porous PEEK interface region (bottom row) of two different porous topologies (honeycomb and gyroid) at three different infills levels. Results from the study confirmed that the DCM of UHMWPE into PEEK can successfully match and better historical values achieved by conventional metallic-UHMWPE components.
02
In Vitro Biocompatibility Testing of 3DP Materials
In this project, we assessed the material properties of a 3D printed PEEK and silicon nitride polymer composite. In vitro cell testing was conducted using MC3T3-E1 mouse preosteoblasts, where cell proliferation, cumulative mineralization, and osteogenic activity were measured.
03
AM Alloy Characterization
Additive manufacturing is increasingly used to generate permanent metal implants in the hip, knee, and spine. While current devices use Ti-6Al-4V like the tibial baseplate (top left) for generating porous interfaces for osseointegration (middle), additive manufacturing allows for new biomaterials, admixtures, and composites (bottom right). The team at Gyroid has experience characterizing powdered metals and as-built samples from laser powder bed fusion. In one such project, when we exposed additively manufactured Ti-Nb-Zr alloys to inflammatory simulating solutions, we found that the alloy outperformed Ti-6Al-4V’s corrosion resistance.
04
Personalized Implant Prototyping and Anatomical Models
The team as Gyroid is well-equipped and experienced in the creation of medical devices and models based on patient medical imaging. Using a workflow involving image segmentation, implant modeling, and 3D printing, personalized models can be created. (Top picture) In this project, a CT scan of a patient with a chest wall bone defect served as the basis for a proof-of-concept device to replace missing bone. (Bottom picture) In this project, spinal imaging was used to create a surgical model with both rigid bone-like and flexible materials.
Select Publications
Our talented writers are always on-call to assist with each step of the publication process. Click on the titles below to check out some of our peer-reviewed works.
