Plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings on 3D printed polymer substrates for orthopedic applications: A preliminary study

New manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing, have allowed wide range of medical devices from generic "one size fits all", expensive devices to the customized, more affordable options. Polymers can play an important role in customized medical devices such as orthopedic implants, due to their lower weight, cost and performance when compared with other materials. Additionally, polymers are widely sought for this kind of devices to support bone in-growth and to enhance the osseointegration. In order to further enhance their biocompatibility, these medical devices can be coated with bioactive materials, such as hydroxyapatite (HA). Among different thermal spray techniques, atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) can be used to obtain HA coatings on implants. Nevertheless, plasma sprayed HA coatings have been primarily applied to metallic substrates, and unfortunately, only a few studies have been performed on polymers and composite materials. This work aims to present a preliminary study of plasma sprayed HA coatings on biopolymer and metallic substrates by using a modified plasma cutting equipment. Furthermore, the HA coatings were characterized by thermal imaging, visual inspection and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).