Laser Processes Promise Better Artificial Joints, Arterial Stents
Purdue mechanical engineering doctoral student Shaoyi Wen, at left, and technician Andrew Hecht review data using a "laser deposition" system. The system works by depositing layers of a powdered mixture of metal and ceramic materials, melting the powder with a laser and then immediately solidifying each layer to form parts. New technologies will be needed to meet the huge global market for artificial hips and knees. (Purdue News Service photo/Andrew Hancock)
Researchers are developing technologies that use lasers to create arterial stents and longer-lasting medical implants that could be manufactured 10 times faster and also less expensively than is now possible.
New technologies will be needed to meet the huge global market for artificial hips and knees, said Yung Shin, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of Purdue’s Center for Laser-Based Manufacturing.
The worldwide population of people younger than 40 who receive hip implants is expected to be 40 million annually by 2010 and double to 80 million by 2030. In addition to speeding production to meet the anticipated demand, Shin said another goal is to create implants that last longer than today’s. (more…)
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