Výzkumníci z University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center developed a 3D printing technique to create realistic models of the human femur, which could simplify the conduct of biomechanical research. A study published in the Journal of Orthopedic Research in collaboration with researchers from University of Texas at Dallas according to the researchers, it validates the use in biomechanical studies of femurs made with cost-effective 3D printers and materials.
Although the study focused on a replica of the thigh bone (femur in Latin) and its mechanical properties, the process could be used to create models of any human bone for research.
The femur is central to biomechanical research because it plays a key role in weight bearing and mobility. Biomechanical researchers have traditionally used cadaver bone or synthetic bone for their studies, but these can be expensive, difficult to obtain, and have limitations. Using 3D printing to create human-like bones can be of significant benefit to researchers studying new surgical techniques and conditions such as osteoporosis, traumatic fractures, deformities, and benign or malignant bone lesions.
Dr. Working with UT Dallas mechanical engineers, Weinschenk and his team used polylactic acid (polylactide – PLA) – a biodegradable polyester material commonly used in 3D printing – and constructed a series of femur models with different physical properties such as wall thickness and filling density. These models were then tested for flexural strength using three-point bending, and the results were compared to the biomechanical response of human femurs, allowing the team to determine the methodology that created the most accurate replica.
Kishore Mysore Nagaraja, a PhD student at the University of Dallas, developed a series of printed femur samples and tested them to make sure they mechanically matched real femurs.
According to Dr. Weinschenka, four generations of synthetic femur models for biomechanical testing have been developed and marketed since 1987. However, they had their limitations, including cost and delivery time. According to him, the 3D printing technique he developed with his colleagues solves these problems.
This innovation could gain widespread use and adoption, as anyone with a cheap 3D printer can download a file, print a sample, and do their own study cheaply and without delay. Dr. Weinschenk and his colleagues at UT Southwestern and UT Dallas created models of the mid-femur just under 8 inches in size and nearly an inch in diameter. The cost of producing these samples is estimated at $7.
UT Dallas researchers focused on the mechanical evaluation and characterization of the 3D printed femur. Thanks to 3D printing, they are able to print the femur with the same geometry as the femur inside the body. In their biomechanical tests, the femur behaved as well as a human femur.
Source: www.cad.cz
