OBRABOTKAMETALLOV MATERIAL SCIENCE Vol. 27 No. 1 2025 hip implants must possess superior mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and durability [3]. Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, has fundamentally transformed biomedical engineering by enabling the creation of complex geometries and personalized implants tailored to individual patient anatomy [4]. In particular, additive manufacturing techniques facilitate the use of porous titanium alloys, which promotes improved osseointegration and minimizes stiffness mismatch between the implant and bone, thereby ensuring favorable long-term patient outcomes [5]. The present study evaluates the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and overall effectiveness of hip joint implants fabricated from both traditional materials and using additive manufacturing technologies [6]. The aim of this work is to investigate the potential of additive manufacturing to improve patient outcomes by overcoming the limitations inherent in conventional implants, such as stress shielding and insufficient bone integration [7]. Among the wide range of polymer biomaterials, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) stands out due to its suitability for 3Dprinting, surpassing other materials used in orthopedic implantology [8]. PEEK is employed in conventional manufacturing processes to develop various biomedical implants [9]. It is characterized by high strength and a Young’s modulus closely matching that of human bone, which minimizes stress shielding and enhances implant stability. Due to these properties, PEEK is a promising material for the fabrication of load-bearing components, such as hip joint cups [10]. PEEK possesses high thermal stability, with a melting point of approximately 343 °C. This allows it to withstand sterilization processes required for medical implants without degradation, ensuring the retention of its properties throughout its lifespan within the human body [11]. Furthermore, PEEK exhibits exceptional chemical resistance to a variety of chemical substances, including solvents, acids, and bases, ensuring its durability and long-term stability in the physiological environment without eliciting adverse reactions [12]. The biocompatibility of PEEK as a reliable material for biomedical applications has been validated by numerous studies [13–14]. For an adequate assessment of PEEK’s applicability in load-bearing orthopedic implants, mechanical testing and wear resistance studies are of paramount importance. Specifically, Reddy et al. [15] investigated the mechanical properties of 3D-printed PEEK specimens intended for dental implants and found that specimens printed with a (45°/−45°) raster angle exhibited improved tensile, compressive, and flexural strength. This indicates the potential of PEEK as an alternative to titanium and zirconia for dental applications. In their studies of a PEEK-Ti6Al4V composite implant, Zhang et al. [16] assessed compressive strength and wear resistance via mechanical testing, in accordance with standard ASTM testing protocols. Du et al. [17] investigated the mechanical characteristics of scaffolds made from the PEEK-SiN composite material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of PEEK implants provides valuable insights into the surface morphology and microstructural features of the material. For example, Lim et al. in 2019 [18] utilized SEM analysis to evaluate the porosity of various 3D-printed PEEK and titanium structures. The results indicated that a pore size of approximately 1.2 mm most closely matches the structure of human trabecular bone. This optimal pore size has been proven to enhance osseointegration, as SEM images demonstrate that the rough surface texture of porous structures promotes increased pull-out strength and, overall, improved bone integration capability [19]. Conversely, SEM analysis conducted by Carpenter et al. in 2018 [20] revealed significant differences between porous PEEK and porous titanium implants. In 2020, Virpe et al. [21] performed an analysis of polymer composites, demonstrating the successful incorporation of carbon fillers into a PLA matrix using FDM 3D-printing. At the same time, the correlation between microstructural characteristics, as determined by SEM, and their influence on wear mechanisms in pin-on-disc testing remains inadequately understood [22–23]. It is noted that not all polymer biomaterials, such as UHMWPE, HDPE, and PE, are readily amenable to 3D printing. This necessitates the use of alternative polymers, including PEEK, PLA, and composite polymer biomaterials that are suitable for 3D-printing and meet the requirements for implants [24]. Therefore, investigating the wear rate characteristics of hip joint implants is an important task, leading to further research on wear parameters using various polymer biomaterials, composites, and coated biomaterials [25]. Various testing methods employed for evaluating the wear resistance and mechanical properties of polymer materials are useful for biomaterials as well [27–28].
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk0ODM1