Additive manufacturing of 3D architectured metallic biomaterials by robocasting ; Fabrication directe par robocasting de biomatériaux architecturés métalliques

Beyond the personalisation aspect that it can bring to the medical field, additive manufacturing also gives access to the elaboration of cellular structures. These structures, with controlled porosity, make it possible both to modulate the mechanical properties of the object and to promote the cellular invasion necessary in tissue engineering. Among the metals commonly used in orthopaedic surgery, titanium alloys are those with the rigidity least distant from that of bone. This study therefore focuses on the development of structures made of Ti6-Al-4V, but also of magnesium since it has the advantage of being resorbable in the body. The scaffolds are obtained by robocasting, a process consisting of extruding, layer by layer, a pasty ink made up of powder and binder. The structures have then to be debinded and sintered at high temperature to achieve their final properties. For Ti-6Al-4V structures, a parametric study is carried out to evaluate the possibilities and limits of the process in terms of structures (and microstructures), chemical compositions and mechanical properties obtained. After optimisation, it is possible to obtain parts with two levels of interconnected porosities (intra-filament (interconnected) microporosity, beneficial for cell adhesion according to the literature, and drawn macropores), keeping a specific yield strength higher than that of bone (105 MPa.cm³/g) and a Young's modulus close to that of bone (28-30 GPa). An intra-filament porosity gradient can also be obtained by varying the powder size within a single part. Concerning magnesium, a binder compatible with the reactivity of the powder (ethanol base) has been identified and the first steps of the process (printing, debinding) are therefore quite feasible for this material. However, conventional sintering of (pure) magnesium is complicated by its reactivity. Alternative sintering methods are therefore being investigated (liquid phase sintering, Spark Plasma Sintering). ; Au-delà de l'aspect de personnalisation qu'elle peut apporter ...