3D printed Nylon/Carbon structures for medical implants with integrated sensing

MSc assignment

Traditional implants are made of metals, mostly titanium. Other materials, such as nylon, do not offer comparable properties, but once they are combined with carbon fibres their mechanical properties can be made more in line with metals. Moreover, given the integrated fibres they may be (slightly and) selectively electrically conductive which makes these materials in theory suitable for customised implants with integrated mechanical sensing.

In this assignment you will investigate the mechanical and electrical properties of 3D printed, fibre enforced nylon structures with integrated mechanical sensing from the context of possible medical applications. This research is in collaboration with Frank IJpma of the University Medical Centre Groningen.