Laser powder bed fusion of a Zr-alloy: Tensile properties and biocompatibility

Zr-alloys are occasionally overlooked as candidate materials for orthopaedic implants, despite having elastic modulus and magnetic susceptibility lower than Ti-alloys. In this study, the processability, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) Zr-702 builds were investigated. Builds with 99.9% density were obtained following process optimisation. The builds demonstrated high tensile properties in both the vertical and horizontal orientations, which exceeded the strength of CP Ti and wrought Zr-702. Live/dead assay was used to assess the biocompatibility of the builds, which confirmed the viability of seeded MC3T3 osteoblast precursor cells on to fabricated surfaces up to 7 days of culture.