A Review of Mechanical, Tribological and Degradation Characteristics of Fused Filament Fabricated PLA for Acetabular Liner Applications
Year: 2026
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Acetabular liners are subjected to very demanding requirements when used in total hip arthroplasty, with a requirement for low wear, mechanical reliability and long-term stability under physiological conditions.Though ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene is the current clinical standard including cross-linked and antioxidant-stabilized, long-term use is still associated with generation of wear particles, oxidative degradation, and revision surgery.Meanwhile, further development of FFF has revived the interest in PLA for use as a customized acetabular liner due to its biocompatible characteristics, 3Dprintability and versatility of its structure-property relationship.The study aims to review and to critically assess the research on mechanical, tribological and degradation behavior of printed PLA parts from the last decade or so with a special focus on the applications of printed acetabular liner cups.Degradation analyses show that PLA undergoes hydrolytic chain scission and progressive stiffness reduction over months to years in physiological environments, with degradation accelerated by mechanical loading and the porous architectures inherent to FFF fabrication.Only a small number of studies have directly assessed 3D-printed PLA acetabular liners, demonstrated good dimensional accuracy and acceptable short-term wear but lacked long-term simulator validation.Consequently, while neat PLA is unlikely to replace polyethylene in permanent load-bearing liners, PLA-based composites, functionally graded designs and thin protective coatings such as parylene present promising options for temporary, low-load or proof-of-concept applications in hip arthroplasty.
Institutions: Quantum University, Punjab Engineering College
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204749088