Design for Manufacturing of a Hip Endo-prosthesis Stem, Using Additive Technologies

Femoral stems come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all of them are assembled with the hip-bone using the same method. Current hip implants are fixed into place by hammering them down into the femoral bone, procedure which can lead to the fracture of the femoral neck. The current paper develops a new concept for a hip implant which can diminish some of these problems through its' unique shape and fixing system. The purpose of this research is to propose a design methodology for manufacturing a new hip endo-prosthesis stem using additive technologies. The numerical CAD model and simulation was undertaken in order to assess the endurance properties and performance of the new hip endo-prosthesis stem concept model. Rapid prototyping was done for functional fitting and surgical procedure validation. The technological transfer possibility was considered through cost analysis, by establishing the total EBM manufacturing costs for one part.