Implant bone screw characteristics of a printed PLA-based material

Abstract

Abstract ASTM F543 specifies the testing characteristics of bone screws. It consists of 4 phases of separate tests, 3 of which are carried out according to a standard procedure using strictly prescribed material. Testing according to this standard is part of the standardization and certification process for bone implants. The PUR 30 PCF material simulates bone for the respective test. The standardized testing results are primarily used to compare the characteristics of the implants tested. At the same time, the information obtained is essential for the verification of real bone screw implantation procedures. In addition to the design of implants and fixation elements, the purpose of using the results of testing using a surrogate material may be, for example, to teach implantation procedures or to train and simulate real implantation procedures, especially in complicated cases. The advantage of using bodies made of poly lactic acid (PLA) material, prepared by additive technology, lies mainly in the possibility of realizing free shapes corresponding to the shapes of natural bone. The present content introduces the problem of defining the structure of test bodies made of additively prepared PLA material and presents the results of comparative testing with PUR 30 PCF material.