Surface Engineering of titanium-based implants produced by laser powder bed fusion

Orthopaedic implants made by 3D printing often have surfaces that bone cells struggle to bond with, so engineers are using a plasma-based electrochemical process to etch and chemically alter those surfaces at the microscopic level. The problem is that additively manufactured (3D-printed) titanium implants—used in hips, knees, and spinal devices—have complex internal structures that standard finishing techniques cannot reach. Without a surface that encourages bone to grow directly onto the implant, patients risk loosening, pain, and revision surgery. Current manufacturing methods cannot easily tailor both the roughness and the chemical composition of these intricate surfaces in a single step. This project tests whether plasma electrolytic oxidation can do both simultaneously: creating a porous, bone-friendly topography while depositing bioactive elements such as calcium or phosphate into the surface layer. If it works, manufacturers could produce custom implants with built-in surface properties that accelerate bone integration, reducing recovery times and the need for follow-up operations. The research is applied rather than fundamental—it directly addresses a manufacturing bottleneck in orthopaedic device production, with no immediate implications beyond surgical implants.