ZTM14N: Low elastic modulus
Titanium alloys are widely used in the aeronautics and biomedical fields because of their superior corrosion resistance and ideal mechanical properties. For instance, Ti64 was first used in aircraft engines during WW2. During the 1960s, Ti64 was introduced to the medical world. Today, Ti64 is widely used to manufacture medical implants using additive manufacturing, but studies have shown that vanadium and aluminum found in Ti64 represent a toxic threat to the human body causing inflammation and rigidity (High elastic modulus of 110 GPa, see chart below) are mismatched with natural bone (5-40 GPa). This is of great concern, leading to the eventual and often early loosening of Ti64 implants. The most promising materials that fully overcome these drawbacks include the Titanium ternary alloys (See chart below)
ZTM14N belongs to the ZTi-Med® powder family. It is a Titanium ternary alloy, it is a biocompatible material designed to maintain a good strength-ductility ratio. It has a very low elastic modulus (Young’s modulus) of 42 GPa which brings it within the elastic modulus of human bone (~5-30 GPa). ZTM14N does not contain any toxic elements such as vanadium and aluminum found in Ti64. Because of its unique properties, ZTM14N offers a large range of applications including medical as well as cosmetic and restorative . The powder is designed specifically for additive manufacturing with optimized physical properties, ensuring good melting conditions on all commercially available AM machines. The exceptional elasticity of ZTM14N makes it one of the most unique innovations in the AM industry (See video below). To validate the PBF process, ZTM14N powder was used to manufacture medical implants f or clavicle and maxilla implants.