REVIEW OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN MEDICAL APPLICATIONS: PROSPECTS FOR FUNCTIONALLY GRADED POLYMERS FOR LOWER LIMB PROSTHETICS

Functional gradient polymers are advanced materials for use in the medical field in the fabrication of customised lower limb prostheses with variable stiffness. The production of such prostheses is possible due to additive manufacturing technologies, which are an effective tool for creating personalised medical devices that take into account the complex anatomical features of human body parts. This review presents an analysis of the currently existing approaches in the fabrication of personalised lower limb prostheses with variable stiffness using additive manufacturing technologies. The analysed works were classified into two approaches for creating prostheses with variable stiffness, namely, using functionally graded polymers (multi-material materials and polymers with controlled porosity) and polymers with shape memory effect. The review shows that today, the creation of customised lower limb prostheses with variable stiffness by additive manufacturing methods is a poorly-studied but promising area of research due to the rapid development of the additive technologies market and their unique features in shaping parts.