Additive manufacturing (AM) of orthopedic implants is growing in popularity as it offers almost complete design flexibility and freedom, meaning complex geometries mimicking specific body parts can be easily produced. Novel composite materials with optimized functionalities present opportunities for 3D printing osteoconductive implants with desirable mechanical properties. Standard metals for bone implants, such as titanium and its alloys, are durable and nontoxic but lack bioactivity. Bioactive glasses promote strong bone formation but are susceptible to brittle failure. Metal-bioactive glass composites, however, may combine the mechanical reliability of metals with the bone-bonding ability of bioactive glasses, potentially reducing the incidence of implant failure. Processing such composites by AM paves the way for producing unprecedented bespoke parts with highly porous lattices, whose stiffness can be tailored to meet the mechanical properties of natural bone tissue. This Perspective focuses on titanium-bioactive glass composites, critically discussing their processability by AM and highlighting their potential as a next-generation implantable biomaterial.

中文翻译：

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增材制造的钛生物玻璃复合材料在生物医学应用中是否有未来？一个观点

整形外科植入物的增材制造 (AM) 越来越受欢迎，因为它提供了几乎完整的设计灵活性和自由度，这意味着可以轻松生产模仿特定身体部位的复杂几何形状。具有优化功能的新型复合材料为 3D 打印具有理想机械性能的骨传导植入物提供了机会。用于骨植入物的标准金属，例如钛及其合金，耐用且无毒，但缺乏生物活性。生物活性玻璃促进强骨形成，但容易发生脆性破坏。然而，金属-生物活性玻璃复合材料可以将金属的机械可靠性与生物活性玻璃的骨结合能力结合起来，有可能降低植入失败的发生率。通过 AM 处理此类复合材料，为生产前所未有的具有高度多孔晶格的定制部件铺平了道路，其刚度可以调整以满足天然骨组织的机械性能。本观点重点关注钛生物活性玻璃复合材料，批判性地讨论它们的 AM 可加工性，并强调它们作为下一代可植入生物材料的潜力。