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Structure–property relationships for 3D-printed PEEK intervertebral lumbar cages produced using fused filament fabrication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2018

Cemile Basgul ,
Tony Yu ,
Daniel W. MacDonald ,
Ryan Siskey ,
Michele Marcolongo  and
Steven M. Kurtz
Cemile Basgul*
Affiliation:
Implant Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Tony Yu
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Daniel W. MacDonald
Affiliation:
Implant Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Ryan Siskey
Affiliation:
Implant Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; and Biomedical Engineering, Exponent, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Michele Marcolongo
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Steven M. Kurtz
Affiliation:
Implant Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; and Biomedical Engineering, Exponent, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: cb997@drexel.edu
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Abstract

Recent advances in the additive manufacturing technology now enable fused filament fabrication of polyetheretherketone (PEEK). A standardized lumbar fusion cage design was 3D printed with different speeds of the printhead nozzle to investigate whether 3D-printed PEEK cages exhibit sufficient material properties for lumbar fusion applications. It was observed that the compressive and shear strength of the 3D-printed cages were 63–71% of the machined cages, whereas the torsion strength was 92%. The printing speed is an important printing parameter for 3D-printed PEEK, which resulted in up to 20% porosity at the highest speed of 3000 mm/min, leading to reduced cage strength. Printing speeds below 1500 mm/min can be chosen as the optimal printing speed for this printer to reduce the printing time while maintaining strength. The crystallinity of printed PEEK did not differ significantly from the as-machined PEEK cages from extruded rods, indicating that the processing provides similar microstructure.

Keywords

polymerstrengthbiomaterial
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 33 , Issue 14: Focus Issue: 3D Printing of Biomaterials , 27 July 2018 , pp. 2040 - 2051
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

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