An investigation into the machinability of hydroxyapatite for bone restoration implants

Advances in material research and technology offer great potential for material applications. However, the implementation of materials is useless if the material cannot be processed into a shape required to perform its function. This paper presents an investigation into machinability of CAPTAL'90', a hydroxyapatite (HA) material for bone replacement implants. The tool wear, surface integrity and chip fragments were selected to evaluate the machinability of HA. Using theoretical understanding of ceramic materials, interpretation of machining results was made. Based on the machining outcomes a modification to improve machinability, was proposed and guidelines for future machining of HA were established. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.