Process development for additive manufacturing of functionally graded alumina toughened zirconia components intended for medical implant application

Additive manufacturing processes become more and more important in almost all areas, also for medical implant application. Medical implants made of ceramics are known for their excellent biological compatibility. For increasing the ingrowth of cells into an implant, a function-optimized structure with a defined porosity seems to be advantageous. Additive manufacturing is suited to realize defined and filigree structures. Lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM), for example, has a high resolution, but still a limited material portfolio. Alumina toughened zirconia is a very interesting material for medical applications, but not commercially available for LCM. In this study, the development of an ATZ suspension usable in the LCM process with a bulk material density higher than 99% after sintering is presented. Furthermore, printing of lattice test structures for the evaluation of accuracy in dependence of printing dimension is demonstrated.