Mechanical Behavior of Lattice Structures Fabricated by Direct Light Processing With Compression Testing and Size Optimization of Unit Cells

Lattice structures used for medical implants offer advantages related to weight reduction, osseointegration, and minimization of stress shielding. This paper intends to study and to compare the mechanical behavior of three different lattice structures: tetrahedral vertex centroid (TVC), hexagonal prism vertex centroid (HPVC), and cubic diamond (CD), that are designed to be incorporated in a shoulder hemiprosthesis. The unit cell configurations were generated using nTopology Element Pro software with a uniform strut thickness of 0.5 mm. Fifteen cuboid samples of 25mm × 25mm × 15 mm, five for each unit cell configuration, were additively manufactured using Direct Light Printing (DLP) technology with a layer height of 50μm and a XY resolution of 73μm. The mechanical behavior of the 3D printed lattice structures was examined by performing mechanical compression testing. E-silicone (methacrylated silicone) was used for the fabrication of samples, and its mechanical properties were obtained from experimental tensile testing of dog-bone samples. A methodology for size optimization of lattice unit cells is provided, and the optimization is achieved using nTopology Element Pro software. The generated results are analyzed, and the HPVC configuration is selected to be incorporated in the further design of prosthesis for bone cancer patients.