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. 2014 Nov 5:9:106.
doi: 10.1186/s13018-014-0106-3.

A study on the mechanical characteristics of the EBM-printed Ti-6Al-4V LCP plates in vitro

Peng-Cheng Liu, Yun-Ji Yang, Run Liu, He-Xi Shu, Jin-Peng Gong, Yong Yang, Qi Sun, Xing Wu  1 , Ming Cai
Affiliations

A study on the mechanical characteristics of the EBM-printed Ti-6Al-4V LCP plates in vitro

Peng-Cheng Liu et al. J Orthop Surg Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: The electron beam melting (EBM) Ti-6Al-4V material technology has been developed over a short time period. It was introduced through a research to develop Ti-6Al-4V implants for patients, but EBM printed locking compression plates have not been used for clinical implants. The main purpose of this study is to find whether the EBM Ti-6Al-4V plate suit for clinical implants.

Methods: First, we scanned an AO-locking compression plate (LCP) and printed LCP samples using EBM. Next, we evaluated the EBM plate surface roughness through optical microscopy as well as the LCP and EBM plates' mechanical characteristics using the ASTM standard, which is commonly used to test the mechanical properties of bone plates subject to bending. Each sample was examined using a single-cycle four-point bending test and hardness testing to acquire data on bending stiffness, bending strength, bending structural stiffness, and hardness.

Results: The results show significant differences in bending stiffness, bending strength, bending structural stiffness, and hardness between the samples using EBM and the original LCP plates. The EBM-printed samples' surface roughness was 0.49 ± 0.02 μm. The mean hardness of the LCP sample was 266.67 HV10 ± 5.8, and the EBM-printed sample mean hardness was 341.1 HV10 ± 1.93. The EBM samples' bending stiffness was 87.67%, which is greater than using the LCP plates'; and the bending strength was 190.7% greater, the bending structural stiffness was 73.2% greater, and the hardness was 27.9% greater.

Conclusions: The results show that the EBM plates' general mechanical strength was significantly greater than the LCP plates. An EBM plate is advantageous for clinical implants because it can be customized with great potential for improvement.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The EBM-printed Ti-6Al-4V LCP plate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The EBM sample surface at 35X (a) and 140X (b) magnifications.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Surface roughness measurements the length reported in μm.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The bone plate bending properties. The line B-0.2% offset displacement, point C-proof load, and P (N) (the applied load at the line intersection point). The LCP maximum yield strength was 1,347 N (a) and the EBM plate maximum yield strength was 3,026 N (b).
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