University of Mississippi
Question
Asked 8th Feb, 2023
Why can't I print tissue scaffolds properly?
Hello, I've been working with a 3D SLA printer to produce a bone tissue scaffold and trying different parameters, both the ceramic slurry and the 3D printer. However, I haven't achieved successful printing yet. They were generally similar to the image; there were only a couple of layers, and the rest was all gone. Is there anyone who knows what causes this situation?
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All Answers (6)
Anna University, Chennai
The slurry appears to be highly viscous and in low quantity.
The resin needs to flow and fill in for the next layer to be produced
Brno University of Technology
Dear Seda Ergün,
is it a commercial slurry or a custom made? If you made it on your own, chances are that it just doesn't cure properly enough for 3D printing applications. Firstly, you need to know the curing parameters of your slurry - the critical exposure energy and the cure depth. It could be obtained directly with your printer. Follow our study for a detailed description:
That will help you determine the layer exposure time respective to the thickness. If you figure out that the curing properties are the issue, you need to modify the slurry to increase its reactivity. You may, for instance, add more photoinitiator or try more efficient photoinitiating system:
If you add an inorganic filler to the resin, it may have various effects depending on the photo-absorbing properties of the filler. Some particles are photoactive, while others have a photoelectric effect. If it is nanoparticles, they usually increase the viscosity. Large particles scatter light, bringing down the cure depth. On the other hand, nanoparticles usually reduce the critical exposure energy. Follow more on this topic in our other study:
If the slurry cures well, you may adjust the printing procedure. Finally, it is also possible that the curing is ok, but the resin is too viscous, as pointed out by Prithvirajan R., or the cured material is too weak and doesn't hold together during the print.
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Yildiz Technical University
Dear Petr Lepcio ,
Thank you a lot for your answer.
I've used hydroxyapatite, that's why also the mixture has high viscosity. I've also used diluents and tried both parameters of changing exposure time and PI amounts. However, it did not produce scaffolds when I tried to increase the exposure time. On the other hand, changing the PI ratio also did not give a sharp difference. So I'm confused with the parameters.
Yildiz Technical University
Prithvirajan R. Thank you for your answer. Yes, the quantity was low due to limited materials. However, I've tried to load the bioceramic powder as much as possible to prevent collapse. Unfortunately, on the other side, it drastically increases viscosity.
Brno University of Technology
What is the critical time respective to the layer exposure time? And what is the cure depth? I suggest trying some simpler print before you continue with scaffolds.
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