3d Printing of Calcium Phosphate Cement for Craniofacial Bone Reconstruction

In the current scenario of flexible manufacturing processes, the 3D printing shows up as an alternative to generate individual parts with complex geometries. Moreover, the development of the 3D printing machines, software and parameters allows the manufacture of parts in some materials suitable for implantation. In this way, this study investigates the feasibility of the production of patient-specific craniofacial implants in calcium phosphate cement. The implant was previously generated in CAD environment based on the patient’s tomographic data. The fabrication of the implant was carried out in a commercial 3D powder printing system and the chosen powder was an alfatricalcium phosphate (α-TCP). The accuracy of the 3D printed implant was measured by three-dimensional laser scanning. The printed part showed adequate accuracy. Key-words: Craniofacial implants, 3D printing, calcium phosphate cement