Simulation-Based Process Design for Asymmetric Single-Point Incremental Forming of Individual Titanium Alloy Hip Cup Prosthesis

Materials (Basel). 2022 May 10;15(10):3442. doi: 10.3390/ma15103442.

Abstract

Advanced manufacturing techniques aimed at implants with high dependability, flexibility, and low manufacturing costs are crucial in meeting the growing demand for high-quality products such as biomedical implants. Incremental sheet forming is a promising flexible manufacturing approach for rapidly prototyping sheet metal components using low-cost tools. Titanium and its alloys are used to shape most biomedical implants because of their superior mechanical qualities, biocompatibility, low weight, and great structural strength. The poor formability of titanium sheets at room temperature, however, limits their widespread use. The goal of this research is to show that the gradual sheet formation of a titanium biomedical implant is possible. The possibility of creative and cost-effective concepts for the manufacture of such complicated shapes with significant wall angles is explored. A numerical simulation based on finite element modeling and a design process tailored for metal forming are used to complete the development. The mean of uniaxial tensile tests with a constant strain rate was used to study the flow behavior of the studied material. To forecast cracks, the obtained flow behavior was modeled using the behavior and failure models.

Keywords: biomedical implants; finite element simulation; incremental forming; titanium; wall angle.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.