Mechanics of 3D-Printed Polymer Lattices with Varied Design and Processing Strategies.

Emerging polymer 3D-printing technologies are enabling the design and fabrication of mechanically efficient lattice structures with intricate microscale structures. During fabrication, manufacturing inconsistencies can affect mechanical efficiency, thereby driving a need to investigate how design and processing strategies influence outcomes. Here, mechanical testing is conducted for 3D-printed lattice structures while altering topology, relative density, and exposure time per layer using digital light processing (DLP).

Simulated tissue growth in tetragonal lattices with mechanical stiffness tuned for bone tissue engineering.

Bone tissue engineering approaches have recently begun considering 3D printed lattices as viable scaffold solutions due to their highly tunable geometries and mechanical efficiency. However, scaffold design remains challenging due to the numerous biological and mechanical trade-offs related to lattice geometry. Here, we investigate novel tetragonal unit cell designs by independently adjusting unit cell height and width to find scaffolds with improved tissue growth while maintaining suitable scaffold mechanical properties for bone tissue engineering.

Polymer 3D Printing Review: Materials, Process, and Design Strategies for Medical Applications.

Polymer 3D printing is an emerging technology with recent research translating towards increased use in industry, particularly in medical fields. Polymer printing is advantageous because it enables printing low-cost functional parts with diverse properties and capabilities. Here, we provide a review of recent research advances for polymer 3D printing by investigating research related to materials, processes, and design strategies for medical applications.