State of the art of bioimplants manufacturing: part I

Bioimplants are becoming increasingly important in the modern society due to the fact of an aging population and associated issues of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The manufacturing of bioimplants involves an understanding of both mechanical engineering and biomedical science to produce biocompatible products with adequate lifespans. A suitable selection of materials is the prerequisite for a long-term and reliable service of the bioimplants, which relies highly on the comprehensive understanding of the material properties. In this paper, most biomaterials used for bioimplants are reviewed. The typical manufacturing processes are discussed in order to provide a perspective on the development of manufacturing fundamentals and latest technologies. The review also contains a discussion on the current measurement and evaluation constraints of the finished bioimplant products. Potential future research areas are presented at the end of this paper.