“Materials researchers at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, have developed an additive manufacturing-based procedure to make magnesium scaffolds with regular porosity.
While magnesium can be absorbed by the body as a mineral, it is very challenging to be processed by conventional 3D printing techniques due to its highly oxidative nature. Using a 3D printed salt template, ETH Zurich’s method managed to create magnesium structures with ordered pores while retaining their mechanical stability.
Complex controlled shapes can be produced with this method, making the structures ideal as templates for salt leaching. Although this work is only a proof of concept at present, these magnesium scaffolds has the potential for making bioresorbable bone implants…”