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Industrial process for glass-ceramic device manufacturing through vat photopolymerization (VPP)


Project title: Industrial process for glass-ceramic device manufacturing through vat photopolymerization (VPP)
Recruiting and hosting institution: Lithoz GmbH
Country: Austria
PhD enrollment: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland. For more information regarding the Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, please visit https://www.tuni.fi/en/study-with-us/doctoral-programme-medicine-biosciences-and-biomedical-engineering.
Supervisors: Lithoz GmbH (AT): Martin Schwentenwein, Tampere University (FI), Jonathan Massera
Objectives: To develop materials and establish the corresponding 3D process for fabricating personalized bone-substitute implants from bioresorbable ceramic/glasses by VPP technology
Expected Results: Development of an optimized VPP fabrication processes and the corresponding materials for 3D printing of bone scaffolds based on bioceramics and bioglass. Fabrication of microstructured bioceramic and bioglass scaffolds via VPP 3D printing to achieve minimal intrinsic defects and high geometrical fidelity for the selected clinical cases.

Description: DC6 position is about investigating the following aspects

  1. Development of photocurable ceramic and bioglass suspensions that act as feedstock for the VPP 3D printing process that will be used;
  2. Operating a bespoke 3D printer for VPP of ceramic materials and the corresponding establishment of process parameters for the fabrication of complex and highly resolved scaffold designs;
  3. Establishing process parameters for the thermal post-processing (debinding and sintering) of the 3D printed ceramic and bioglass scaffolds.

The Doctoral Candidates will interact with other members of the project’s DCs in a multidisciplinary setting by taking part in training sessions and workshops. Each DC will also conduct secondments at other member institutions of the REBONE consortium in order to broaden her/his scientific understanding of the project’s subject and develop soft skills.