The use of adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence for assessing the cleanliness of additive-manufacturing materials used in medical applications

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is widely gaining popularity as an alternative manufacturing technique for complex and customised parts. AM materials are used for various medical applications in both metal and polymer options. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence technology is a rapid, user-friendly method of quantifying surface cleanliness and was used in this study to gather quantitative data on levels of contamination on AM materials at three different stage processes: post build, post cleaning and post sterilization. The surface cleanliness of eleven AM materials, three metals and eight polymers, was tested. ATP bioluminescence provided the sensitivity to evaluate different material surface characteristics, and specifically the impact of surface finishing techniques on overall cleanliness.