Artificial Bone Prototype
Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of objects with unprecedented geometric and material complexity - but how do we actually specify that level of complexity? Common NURBS-based CAD tools like Solidworks and Autodesk come to a screeching halt when trying to specify the level of detail found in natural materials like bone.
I created a design tool capable of directly specifying the geometry of volume filling stochastic beam lattices, which are reminiscent of the internal microstructure of bone.
My tool places “nodes” randomly in 3D space, with adjustable minimum and maximum spacing, then connects them using struts. I use implicit geometry functions to define regions around these struts which are occupied by material.
The tool also enables the radial grading of two different materials - for example the core of the lattice struts can be defined as a softer, tougher material and the outer shell can be defined as a more rigid material. The interface between these materials can be graded smoothly, to avoid sharp stress gradients.
I produced these samples for the Children’s Hospital Colorado in a research collaboration with Dr. Brian Herrman. Medical students practice drilling operations on synthetic bone and offer us feedback on its realism, helping us realize physically realistic simulations of biological tissue. Stay tuned for a forthcoming publication.