The biomaterials technology industry is already well established in the western world and is growing rapidly within Asian Pacific nations. It is often described as the ‘next electronics industry’, whilst the laser is described as a ‘solution looking for a problem’. This book describes the use of the laser to solve a troublesome and costly problem in a rapidly growing global industry. The authors have spent many years conducting research using laser materials processing and wettability characteristics and have perfected a technique to improve the bio-compatibility of various bone-implant materials using laser irradiation. They have made pioneering discoveries on the subject and established some generic theories and principals that will have a wide range of applications in the biomaterials field.

• Introduces inter-disciplinary research work covering laser materials processing and surface modification of biomaterials for enhanced compatibility.
• Includes highly scientific and novel research material.
• Serves both as a practitioner guide and a reference book.
• Covers an exciting and rapidly developing area of technology that is of keen interest to engineers and clinicians alike.

Laser Surface Treatment of Bio-Implant Materials is rare in providing a reference source that describes specifically a mechanical engineering solution to a biotechnology problem. It serves as both a practitioner guide and a medium to high-level reference text book, and as such is a reference source for the engineer practising or looking to move into the biomaterials field, undergraduate and post graduate students and those conducting bio-related research in either academia or industry. It will prove useful to mechanical engineers, biotechnologists, biomechanical engineers, metallurgists, clinicians and even surgeons.

Dr Jonathan Lawrence is an Assistant Professor in the Manufacturing Engineering Division of the School of Mechanical & Production Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.  His current research interests include the further inveestigation of the effects of laser radiation on the wettability characteristics of selected ceramics, metals, natural and man-made bio-materials and plastics.

Dr Liang Hao recently completed a PhD at Nanyang Technological University , Singapore on CO2 laser treatments, and is now a research associate based at the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University, UK.