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Evaluation and characterization of nitinol stents produced by selective laser melting with various process parameters

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Abstract

Various studies have reported 3D printing of superelastic nitinol parts. However, the sizes of samples are several scales larger than those in the biomedical applications, which provides insufficient values for the industry use. To investigate the feasibility of SLM fabrication of thinner nitinol medical devices, i.e., stent, this study has systematically explored how the process parameters affect the final quality of the printed parts. Firstly, the nitinol powders have been validated through various testings on flow property, powder behavior, and size distribution to ensure the reproducibility of nitinol devices. Then the process-microstructure-property relation of nitinol wire was investigated experimentally based on the phase transformation temperature, microstructures, phase or crystalline structures, and nickel-titanium atomic weight percentage. In the last, novel superelastic nitinol stents with two different closed-cell designs were successfully printed using the selected process parameters. A comprehensive mechanical/material characterization and biocompatibility assessment have been conducted on these 3D printed stents. In summary, this preliminary study provided a guideline on how to print thin nitinol medical devices, also demonstrated that with the suitable process parameter, it is highly feasible to use SLM to accurately print thin nitinol devices with high density, uniform strut diameters, adequate superelasticity, and excellent biocompatibility.

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Abbreviations

BFE:

Basic flowability energy

CBD:

Conditioned bulk density

CE:

Circle equivalent

DSC:

Differential scanning calorimeter

EDX:

Energy dispersive X-ray analysis

FR:

Flow rate

FRI:

Flow rate index

HS:

High sensitivity

ICPMS:

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Ni:

Nickel

SE:

Specific energy

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

SI:

Stability index

SLM:

Selective laser melting

Ti:

Titanium

XCT:

X-ray computed tomography

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

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Funding

The project was supported by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), Singapore, thru the PEP funding while in collaboration with Interplex Precision Technology (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NUS Centre for Additive Manufacturing, 2 Engineering Drive 3, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117581, Singapore

    Lina Yan, Sin Liang Soh & Wen Feng Lu

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, 9 Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore

    Lina Yan, Sin Liang Soh, Niyou Wang, Qianhui Ma, Wen Feng Lu, A. Senthil Kumar & Jerry Ying Hsi Fuh

  3. Department of Anatomy, 4 Medical Drive, MD10, YLLSoM, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117594, Singapore

    S. Thameem Dheen

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  1. Lina Yan
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Correspondence to Niyou Wang.

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Yan, L., Soh, S.L., Wang, N. et al. Evaluation and characterization of nitinol stents produced by selective laser melting with various process parameters. Prog Addit Manuf 7, 1141–1153 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-022-00289-4

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