Design of Reliable Remobilisation Finger Implants with Geometry Elements of a Triple Periodic Minimal Surface Structure via Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Nitride

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Christof Koplin
  • Eric Schwarzer-Fischer
  • Eveline Zschippang
  • Yannick M. Löw
  • Martin Czekalla
  • Arthur Seibel
  • Anna Rörich
  • Joachim Georgii
  • Felix Güttler
  • Sinef Yarar-Schlickewei
  • Andreas Kailer
When finger joints become immobile due to an accident during sports or a widespread disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, customised finger joint implants are to be created. In an automated process chain, implants will be produced from ceramic or metallic materials. Artificial intelligence-supported software is used to calculate three-dimensional models of the finger bones from two-dimensional X-ray images. Then, the individual implant design is derived from the finger model and 3D printed. The 3D printing process and the structures used are evaluated via model tests and the final implant design via a reliability calculation in a way to ensure that this is also possible via an AI process in the future. Using additive manufacturing with silicon nitride-based ceramics, model specimens and implants are produced via the lithography-based ceramic vat photopolymerisation process with full geometry or elements of triple periodic minimal surfaces structure. The model specimens are tested experimentally, and the loads are matched with a characteristic strength assuming a Weibull distribution of defects in the volume to generate and match failure probabilities. Calculated fracture forces of the silicon nitride-based ceramic structure was validated by comparison of simulation and tests, and the calculation can be used as a quality index for training of artificial intelligence in the future. The proposed method for individualized finger implant design and manufacturing may allow for correction of potential malpositions of the fingers in the future.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJ - Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal
Volume6
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)180-197
Number of pages18
ISSN2571-8800
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18.03.2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

This research received no external funding. The project FingerKit is an internal project of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

    Research areas

  • remobilisation, additive manufacturing, reliability, AI-based, reconstruction, joint-implant, crack-growth, autogeneration
  • Engineering

DOI