Research perspective and prospective of additive manufacturing of biodegradable magnesium-based materials

Biodegradable metals such as magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have attracted extensive attention in biomedical research due to their excellent mechanical properties and biodegradability. However, traditional casting, extrusion, and commercial processing have limitations in manufacturing components with a complex shape/structure, and these processes may produce defects such as cavities and gas pores which can degrade the properties and usefulness of the products. Compared to conventional techniques, additive manufacturing (AM) can be used to precisely control the geometry of workpieces made of different Mg-based materials with multiple geometric scales and produce desirable medical products for orthopedics, dentistry, and other fields. However, a detailed and thorough understanding of the raw materials, manufacturing processes, properties, and applications is required to foster the production of commercial Mg-based biomedical components by AM. This review summarizes recent advances and important issues pertaining to AM of Mg-based biomedical products and discusses future development and application trends.