3D printing composite material stent and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a 3D printing composite material stent and a preparation method thereof. The 3D printing composite material stent is prepared by combining a 3D printing technology, casting, injection molding and a seepage method. According to the method, the porous structure of the 3D printing material and other materials are combined, the stent with excellent mechanical properties is prepared, the problem that a composite stent cannot be effectively and directly prepared through existing 3D printing is solved, and the technical problem that most 3D printing materials such as titanium alloy and tantalum alloy are not firmly combined with other materials is solved. The preparation method comprises the following steps: designing a porous structure three-dimensional model, and exporting printer recognition format data; performing 3D printing to obtain a porous structure; designing and / or selecting other materials and preparing a mold; the porous structure obtained through 3D printing is relatively fixed in a mold; other materials are poured into the mold, and the materials can flow into pores of the 3D printing porous structure; and curing and / or hardening to obtain the 3D printing composite material stent. The 3D printing composite material support can be used in orthopedic implants, has the advantages of being firm in structure, not prone to damage and good in bone ingrowth effect, can be applied to large-segment bone defects of bearing parts, promotes bone tissue regeneration on the basis of achieving mechanical supporting, and achieves the curative effect of repairing the large-segment bone defects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of 3D printing, and more particularly to a 3D printed composite material scaffold and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] 3D printing technology is a collective term for a series of rapid prototyping technologies. Its basic principle is layer-by-layer manufacturing. A rapid prototyping machine scans the XY plane to form the cross-sectional shape of the workpiece, while intermittently displacing the layer thickness in the Z coordinate, ultimately forming a three-dimensional part. 3D printing has the following advantages: additive manufacturing, high material utilization, and a wide variety of materials; significantly shorter small-batch production cycles compared to traditional processes; one-piece molding of complex shapes based on a 3D model; short cycle time and simple process; no need for a centralized workshop, allowing for decentralized management.

[0003] Traditional 3D-printed composite material structures can only be made from different metal or non-metal composite materials, requiring high-quality 3D-printed materials. While 3D printing can create porous structures, the connection between these structures and other materials is often achieved through traditional bonding methods, resulting in poor stability, susceptibility to breakage at the joints, and low load-bearing capacity. For example, 3D-printed porous structures have advantages in orthopedic implants, such as low elastic modulus and adjustable porosity and pore size. Some orthopedic implants, like knee joints, require viscoelastic structures. Traditional orthopedic implants, to balance bone ingrowth and viscoelasticity, often use traditional bonding methods to combine porous structures with viscoelastic materials, leading to poor load-bearing capacity, high damage rates, and increased surgical revision rates. Therefore, a 3D-printed composite material scaffold and its fabrication method are needed, combining the structural advantages of 3D-printed porous structures with the performance advantages of other materials. This scaffold could be applied to medical devices, industrial machinery, and other fields. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a 3D-printed composite material support;

[0005] The 3D printed composite material support includes a 3D printed porous support and other solid filling parts, and the 3D printed porous support is fixedly connected to the solid filling structure.

[0006] The 3D printed porous scaffold is made of 3D printing materials, such as metals (titanium alloys, tantalum alloys, magnesium alloys), polymers (polylactic acid, polyetheretherketone), and ceramics.

[0007] The solid filling structure is made of photocurable material, thermocurable material, and thermoplastic material.

[0008] The solid filling structure is solidified and formed in a mold.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a 3D printed composite material scaffold, comprising the following steps:

[0010] S1. Design a 3D model of the porous structure and export the data in a format that can be recognized by a 3D printer;

[0011] The S2 3D printer prints the porous structure designed in step S1;

[0012] S3. Design solid structures of other materials, and prepare molds for casting based on the 3D printed porous structures and solid structures of other materials obtained in step S2;

[0013] S4. Fix the 3D printed porous structure obtained in step S2 in the mold;

[0014] S5. Pour slurry of other materials into the mold obtained in step S3. The slurry will seep into the pores of the 3D printed porous structure to build an integrated support for the 3D printed porous structure and other materials.

[0015] S6. The integrated scaffold obtained in step S5 is cured to obtain a 3D printed composite material scaffold.

[0016] In step S4, the integrated support structure, the slurry of other materials, seeps into the 3D printed porous structure.

[0017] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0018] The 3D-printed composite material scaffold of this invention combines the advantages of 3D printing's porous structure with the performance advantages of other materials, providing a more robust structural integration. When applied to orthopedic implants, it offers advantages such as low elastic modulus, viscoelasticity, and excellent bone ingrowth. Its applications in other fields are also very broad.

[0019] The following will further explain the concept, specific structure, and technical effects of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, so as to fully understand the purpose, features, and effects of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This invention is a flowchart of a method for preparing a 3D printed composite material scaffold.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a front view of the 3D-printed titanium alloy composite material bracket in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the 3D-printed titanium alloy composite material support structure in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] A preferred structure of the 3D-printed titanium alloy composite material scaffold of the present invention is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the 3D-printed porous support 1 is a porous structure composed of multiple connecting rods 5. The positions of the connecting rods can be symmetrically arranged or arbitrarily arranged. Depending on the actual needs, the connecting rods 5 in this embodiment can be cylindrical, prismatic, or irregularly shaped. Furthermore, the 3D-printed porous support 1 and connecting rods 5 can be made of metals with excellent mechanical properties (titanium alloy, tantalum alloy, magnesium alloy), but can also be made of polymers (polylactic acid, polyetheretherketone) or ceramics as needed.

[0026] The solid filling structure described in this invention is prepared from photocurable materials, thermocurable materials, and thermoplastic materials. These materials can exhibit fluidity under certain conditions and transform into a solid state under other conditions, such as polyethylene or metals.

[0027] The solid filling structure 2 described in this invention is solidified and formed in the mold 3. In this embodiment, the mold 3 is a cubic structure with an open upper surface, but it can be adjusted according to the actual needs and the application scenario of the 3D printed titanium alloy composite material bracket.

[0028] Example 2

[0029] A preferred structure of the 3D-printed titanium alloy composite material scaffold of the present invention is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the 3D titanium alloy composite material scaffold can be applied to the structure of 3D-printed artificial intervertebral discs in the orthopedic medical field. The upper and lower end faces of the 3D-printed artificial intervertebral disc can be fabricated as 3D-printed porous scaffold 1 and end faces 4. The upper and lower end faces of the artificial intervertebral disc are symmetrical and have consistent structural features. The end face 4 and the 3D-printed porous scaffold 1 are integrally printed by a 3D printer. The 3D-printed porous scaffold 1 of the upper and lower end faces of the artificial intervertebral disc is fixed in a mold, and a curable material is cast and cured to form a solid filled structure, thereby realizing the fabrication of the artificial intervertebral disc.

[0030] The above-mentioned method for preparing 3D printed titanium alloy composite material scaffolds mainly includes the following steps:

[0031] S1. Design a 3D model of the porous structure and export the data in a format that can be recognized by a 3D printer;

[0032] The S2 3D printer prints the porous structure designed in step S1;

[0033] S3. Design solid structures of other materials, and prepare molds for casting based on the 3D printed porous structures and solid structures of other materials obtained in step S2;

[0034] S4. Fix the 3D printed porous structure obtained in step S2 in the mold;

[0035] S5. Pour slurry of other materials into the mold obtained in step S3. The slurry will seep into the pores of the 3D printed porous structure to build an integrated support for the 3D printed porous structure and other materials.

[0036] S6. The integrated scaffold obtained in step S5 is cured to obtain a 3D printed composite material scaffold.

[0037] The 3D printing technologies that can be used in step S2 include: SLM (Selective Laser Melting), EBM (Electron Beam Melting), 3DP (Three-Dimensional Printing), FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), SLA (Stereo Lithography Apparatus), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), and DLP (Digital Light Processing). Preferably, the 3D printing technologies used are SLM (Selective Laser Melting) and EBM (Electron Beam Melting).

[0038] In step S5, the slurry can be a photocurable material, a thermocurable material, or a thermoplastic material.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will understand that the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of this disclosure can be combined and / or combined in various ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in this application. In particular, without departing from the spirit and teachings of this application, the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of this application can be combined and / or combined in various ways, and all such combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope of this application.

[0040] This document uses specific embodiments to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The descriptions of these embodiments are merely illustrative of the method and core concepts of the present invention and are not intended to limit this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes to the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas, spirit, and principles of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A 3D-printed composite material bracket, characterized in that, It includes a 3D printed porous support and a solid infill structure, wherein the 3D printed porous support and the solid infill structure are fixedly connected.

2. The 3D printed composite material bracket as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The 3D-printed porous scaffold is made of 3D printing materials, such as metals (titanium alloys, tantalum alloys, magnesium alloys), polymers (polylactic acid, polyetheretherketone), and ceramics.

3. The 3D printed composite material bracket as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The solid filling structure is made of photocurable material, thermocurable material, and thermoplastic material.

4. The 3D printed composite material bracket as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The solid filling structure is solidified and formed in a mold.

5. A method for preparing a 3D printed composite material scaffold, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Design a 3D model of the porous structure and export the data in a format that can be recognized by a 3D printer; The S2 3D printer prints the porous structure designed in step S1; S3. Design solid structures of other materials, and prepare molds for casting based on the 3D printed porous structures and solid structures of other materials obtained in step S2; S4. Fix the 3D printed porous structure obtained in step S2 in the mold; S5. Pour slurry of other materials into the mold obtained in step S3. The slurry will seep into the pores of the 3D printed porous structure to build an integrated support for the 3D printed porous structure and other materials. S6. The integrated scaffold obtained in step S5 is cured to obtain a 3D printed composite material scaffold.

6. The method for preparing a 3D printed composite material scaffold as described in claim 5, characterized in that: In step S4, the integrated support structure, the slurry of other materials, seeps into the 3D printed porous structure.

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