Biomedical titanium implants based on additive manufacture

Compared with traditional technologies, additive manufacture based on modern digital technology shows several advantages, such as high efficiency, freedom of design and near net shape, etc., providing new chances for the development of titanium alloys used in biomedical areas. This kind of “green manufacture” can also combine macroscopic contours of implants with the physical environment of defects to be repaired, thus improving the biomechanical compatibility and achieving good osseointegration between implants and human bones. This review summarizes the process and factors of AM technology, generalizes the microstructures, mechanical properties, biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo, and clinical application of titanium implants. The future prospects of AM technology in Ti-based implants have also been calculated.