Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Scaffolds for Orthopedic Applications: Design and Manufacturability

Metal additive manufacturing via laser powder bed fusion or electron beam melting has been used for several years for serial manufacturing of implants. The potential to seamlessly integrate porous volumes in orthopedic implants has provided medical design engineers a powerful tool to achieve superior implant performance. However, many opportunities to further optimize the design of these porous volumes remain unexplored or do not make it from the lab to industry. This article aims to provide a coherent view on the current use of porous volumes in additively manufactured implants and some of the most recent research in this field.