ESR12 - Ambra Paterlini

Background:

Ambra is Italian and was born in the Emilia region, where she attended all her studies. Her education started with a scientific bilingual diploma, which was followed by a Bachelor’s graduation in Environmental Engineering, to conclude with a Master in Materials Engineering at the Enzo Ferrari University of Modena.

She spent 6 months at the University of Belfort-Montbéliard for her Master thesis project about plasma sprayed AlSi-polyester abradable coatings for turbines. She continued with a post-master internship at CIRIMAT, in the warmer Toulouse, thanks to the achievement of a second Erasmus grant. During this period, she worked on 3D printed scaffolds from self-setting formulations. Successively she was hired on an ANR project about cold spraying of biomimetic apatite, from powder synthesis to coating characterization, in collaboration with the CPT thermal spray centre of Barcelona.

Her educational path enabled her to acquire expertise in the research environment, as well as training on multicultural groups gave her the opportunity to learn four different languages. She finally found the perfect way to combine her interest for additive manufacturing and biomaterials with a PhD in the DOC-3D-Printing European project about the 3D printing of small ceramic orthopaedic prostheses.

Presentation of the individual project:

The topic of her PhD is about the definition of the most innovative design and suitable geometries for small ceramic orthopaedic prostheses produced by Additive Manufacturing (AM). The main goals are:

- The identification of the ceramic biomaterial and the additive manufacturing process, as a result of the optimization study on different raw materials and AM technologies. Concerning materials, the first analyses will be carried out on the most common ceramics used for prostheses and joints according to the state of art: alumina, zirconia and hydroxyapatite; the main techniques applied will be Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) and laser-based ones such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). A meaning part of the project will also be dedicated to the design of the prostheses, meeting current requirements such as fatigue resistance, surface finishing, complex geometry.

- The selection of the most suitable materials and devices characterisation techniques to meet international reference standards (ISO, ASTM). The tests will analyse chemico-physical properties, biocompatibility, mechanical and biological behaviour; they will be carried out by following the already existing standards for surgery implantable materials. This part of research will include the mapping of relevant standards concerning 3D printing technology for biomedical applications and the development of new ones.