Hooreweder Brecht Van, Lietaert Karel, Neirinck Bram, Lippiatt Nicholas, Wevers Martine
Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; 3D Systems Leuven, Grauwmeer 14, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2017 Jun;70:60-67. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.03.017.
Additive manufacturing techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) allow carefully controlled production of complex porous structures such as scaffolds. These advanced structures can offer many interesting advantages over conventionally produced products in terms of biological response and patient specific design. The surface finish of AM parts is often poor because of the layer wise nature of the process and adhering particles. Loosening of these particles after implantation should be avoided, as this could put the patient's health at risk. In this study the use of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide mixtures for surface treatment of cobalt-chromium F75 scaffolds produced by SLM is investigated. A 27% HCl and 8% HO etchant proved effective in removing adhering particles while retaining the quasi-static and fatigue performance of the scaffolds.
