Methods of Designing Three-Dimensional Lattice Structures for Implants

A method of designing porous structures for medical implants, steps comprising:

• modeling a sub-unit cell within a hexahedron volume of a preselected height, first width and second width;
• wherein said hexahedron volume comprises six hexahedron volume faces;
• modeling a node centrally located within said hexahedron volume;
• wherein said node comprises a square bipyramid with eight node faces and a square plane parallel to a face of said hexahedron volume;
• wherein said hexahedron volume further comprises eight corners, each defined by the intersection of three hexahedron volume faces;
• modeling a first strut fixed on its proximate end to a first node face and fixed on its distal end to a corner of said hexahedron volume nearest to said first node face;
• modeling a second strut fixed on its proximate end to a second node face, wherein said second node face is spaced about 180 degrees laterally from said first node face;
• modeling a third strut fixed on its proximate end to a third node face, wherein said third node face is spaced about 90 degrees laterally from said first node face;
• and
• modeling a fourth strut fixed on its proximate end to a fourth node face, wherein said fourth node face is spaced about 180 degrees laterally from said third node face.