Determination of the Machining Characteristics of a Biomaterial Using a Machine Tool Designed for Total Knee Arthroplasty

The authors have developed a prototype of a sophisticated 9-axis machine tool for bone cutting to reduce the machining error in cutting bone to accept artificial joint replacements and to improve the postoperative performance of the implants. It is necessary to determine the machining characteristics of the bone to optimize the cutting state. In this paper, model bones with mechanical characteristics similar to those of human bone and pig bone, were endmilled. The relationship between the cutting conditions and the cutting characteristics of cortical bone and cancellous tissue, of which bone is comprised, were evaluated.