Additive Manufacturing of Bioactive Glasses and Silicate Bioceramics

This paper reviews the application of a broad range of additive manufacturing technologies (AMTs), including Stereolithographic Ceramic Manufacturing (SLCM/LCM), 3D-Printing, indirect and direct Selective Laser Sintering/Melting (SLS/SLM), Dispense Plotting and Inkjet Plotting on bioactive glasses (BGs) and silicate bioceramics to fabricate a variety of dense and porous structures for biomedical applications (e.g. bone replacement materials). Topical studies in the literature are complemented by recent data of the authors' own work, highlighting the state of the art of additive bioceramic production. The specific characteristics of the technologies used, their advantages and disadvantages and the scope for future research in this field are discussed. To date, many studies focus on 45S5 Bioglass (R) due to its broad commercial availability. However, other bioactive glass formulations and sol-gel derived BGs are being also considered in the context of AMTs. As the geometrical accuracy and mechanical properties of the fabricated parts strongly vary among the different AMTs, in-depth knowledge of the detailed capabilities of each production process targeted for BGs and other silicate bioceramic materials, as collated in this review, provides information on the basic requirements and challenges for establishing follow-up studies and for possible expansion of the application fields of such additive-manufactured structures.