Structured Mineral Bone Mould via Water Vapor Phase Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for producing porous bone replacement materials often result in low bioactivity and limited mechanical stability due to high-temperature sintering processes, which impair the structure and resorbability of bone implants, and fail to effectively control pore arrangement and interconnectivity for optimal bone integration.
Innovation Solution
Structured mineral bone replacement bodies with a defined interconnecting pore system and predetermined structure are produced using a 3D printing process without ceramic sintering, incorporating calcium and/or magnesium compounds with strontium ions, allowing for controlled pore design and hydraulic activity, enabling better bioactivity and mechanical stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If high-temperature sintering processes are used to produce calcium phosphate bone implants, then material similarity to bone minerals is improved, but structure and resorbability are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high-temperature sintering (>500°C) to low-temperature processing (below sintering temperature), thereby preserving the bioactivity and resorbability of the bone implant while still achieving material similarity to bone minerals through alternative production methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transition of water to steam (vaporization) as a shaping mechanism instead of high-temperature sintering. The shaped body is formed by introducing water vapor that condenses and freezes within the mold cavity, achieving dimensional stability without thermal damage to the material structure
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional production methods are used for porous bone replacement materials, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but pore arrangement and interconnectivity control are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the production process into distinct stages: mold preparation, water vapor introduction, condensation, freezing, and thawing. This segmentation allows precise control over pore formation during the phase transition stages while maintaining overall process simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs phase transitions of water (vapor→liquid→solid→liquid) as a controlled mechanism to create the pore structure. The freezing stage forms the pore network, while the thawing stage stabilizes the structure, achieving precise pore arrangement without complex manufacturing steps
3Reliability
If shaped bone replacement bodies are produced without ceramic sintering using 3D printing, then bioactivity and mechanical properties are enhanced, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses phase transitions of water as the core mechanism to achieve shaping and stabilization without ceramic sintering. The controlled freezing and thawing cycles create the desired structure while preserving bioactivity, replacing complex sintering processes with simpler thermal cycling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/thermal sintering processes with a vapor-phase shaping mechanism. Water vapor is introduced into the mold cavity, condenses, and freezes to form the shaped body, substituting high-temperature mechanical sintering with a gentler phase-based formation process
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves enhanced bioactivity and mechanical properties, such as increased compressive strength and porosity, facilitating faster and more complete bone integration while maintaining dimensional stability for implantation.
Implementation Method 1
an anhydrous carrier liquid which, on contact with the reactive mineral bone cement, enables the production of a moldable bone cement mass
Implementation Method 2
introducing water vapor into a mold cavity
Implementation Method 3
The shaped bodies produced in this way have particularly good mechanical properties if the curing takes place not in aqueous solutions, but in a saturated steam atmosphere at ambient temperatures or slightly elevated temperatures
Implementation Method 4
mineral bone cements, which have a hydraulic setting reaction, i.e. H. a reaction with water, in situ Harden
Data Source
Figure 1~2B
AI summary
The invention relates to structured mineral bone substitutes with a defined interconnecting pore system and a predetermined structure, a method for producing structured mineral bone substitutes by a 3D printing process, and their use for the production of an alloplastic implant or as a carrier material in cell culture, tissue culture and/or tissue engineering.