Experimental Study of Bio-Polymer Knee Implant

This study tests a custom-designed knee implant made of an FDA approved biomaterial, Chronoflex AR. The implant is designed to cushion the damaged cartilage at the distal end of the femur to reduce knee pain without the removal of cartilage and bone. A patient’s MRI scan was used to render a 3D computer graphic design of the knee. The manufacturing of the implant is conducted by 3D printing the shape of the distal end of the femur and coating it with the biomaterial. This is a preliminary fabrication method. Ultimately, the implant material will be 3D printed or cast in 3D printed molds. A successful implementation of this sort of custom-designed implant would reduce the invasiveness of knee correcting procedures, enable the patient to retain the shape of his or her femoral and tibial anatomy, and reduce the possibility of revision surgeries. A custom knee implant testing machine was designed and fabricated to measure the force, elastic deformation, plastic deformation, wear and fatigue of the component after performing lab tests simulating a normal walking pattern while adhering to ISO standards.