Micromachining of ceramic surfaces: Hydroxyapatite and zirconia

Computerised Numerical Control (CNC) precision machining can be employed as a fast and reproducible method for surface micropatterning. For biomedical applications an efficient and reproducible micropatterning of zirconia and calcium phosphate based materials is highly sought in order to guide implant interactions with surrounding biological tissues for a better osseointegration. Therefore, CNC precision machining of zirconia and hydroxyapatite substrates is investigated in this study and optimised process parameters are reported. By microgrinding and micromilling microgrooves with a minimum width of 100 μm were obtained and process parameters such as cutting tool diameter and feed velocity discussed. As all samples were sintered prior to the micropatterning process, the influence of sintering temperature on the pattern quality, size and hardness of the obtained samples are studied. Vickers hardness of the different sintered ceramic surfaces was measured to correlate the possible wear impact on the tip of the cutting tools. The stiffness and the hardness of the used cutting tools were measured and their effect on the cutting results was discussed. The pattern quality and the average roughness in the machined microgrooves were analysed by 3D-profilometry and imaged by SEM. Comparison of the two machining techniques yielded more defined and less fractured micropatterns for microgrinding. The process efficiency for both methods was limited by the economic life time of the tool tips. For CNC grinding the life time was downsized due to more pronounced abrasive wear. For both materials the hardness was the crucial process parameter, which was adjusted by the sintering temperature. For milling of zirconia the sintering should not exceed a temperature of 1100 °C to minimize tool wear. A temperature of lower 1200 °C is suggested for the milling of HA. For sintering temperatures higher than 1200 °C the machining of both ceramic surfaces was hardly possible. The feed velocity was found not having a significant influence on the obtained micropattern width. The preset line pitch of 100 μm was excellently reached for both applied machining processes. It was found that lower feed velocities and smaller tool diameters caused deeper micropatterns.