3D printing technology as innovative solutions for biomedical applications.

3D printing was once predicted to be the third industrial revolution. Today, the use of 3D printing is found across almost all industries. This article discusses the latest 3D printing applications in the biomedical industry.

Innovations in Thermal Processing: Hot-Melt Extrusion and KinetiSol® Dispersing.

Thermal processing has gained much interest in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly for the enhancement of solubility, bioavailability, and dissolution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with poor aqueous solubility. Formulation scientists have developed various techniques which may include physical and chemical modifications to achieve solubility enhancement. One of the most commonly used methods for solubility enhancement is through the use of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs).

A Low-Cost Method to Prepare Biocompatible Filaments with Enhanced Physico-Mechanical Properties for FDM 3D Printing.

Background: Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printing has received much interest as a fabrication method in the medical and pharmaceutical industry due to its accessibility and cost-effectiveness. A low-cost method to produce biocompatible and biodegradable filaments can improve the usability of FDM 3D printing for biomedical applications.

Objectives: The feasibility of producing low-cost filaments suitable for FDM 3D printing via single screw and twin-screw hot melt extrusion was explored.

3D printing for enhanced drug delivery: current state-of-the-art and challenges.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has recently appeared as one of the most promising additive manufacturing techniques to fabricate 3D objects, with uses spanning from engineering prototyping to medicines and cell-laden models for biomedical applications. Regardless of the type and underlying theory, 3D printing techniques involve the deposition of materials such as thermoplastic polymers or hydrogel in sequential layers one onto another to produce a 3D object. 3D printing has recently gained momentum in developing various drug delivery systems for pharmaceutical applications which is reflected by the exponential rise in the number of published papers and patents in recent years.

Development and Optimisation of Novel Polymeric Compositions for Sustained Release Theophylline Caplets (PrintCap) via FDM 3D Printing.

This study reports a thorough investigation combining hot-melt extrusion technology (HME) and a low-cost fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer as a continuous fabrication process for a sustained release drug delivery system. The successful implementation of such an approach presented herein allows local hospitals to manufacture their own medical and pharmaceutical products on-site according to their patients' needs. This will help save time from waiting for suitable products to be manufactured off-site or using traditional manufacturing processes.

Drop-On-Powder 3D Printing of Tablets with an Anti-Cancer Drug, 5-Fluorouracil.

This study reports the first case of an innovative drop-on-powder (DoP) three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to produce oral tablets (diameters of 10 mm and 13 mm) loaded with an anticancer model drug, 5-fluorouracil (FLU). For this study, a composition of the powder carrier containing CaSO₄ hydrates, vinyl polymer, and carbohydrate was used as the matrix former, whereas 2-pyrrolidone with a viscosity like water was used as a binding liquid or inkjet ink. All tablets were printed using a commercial ZCorp 3D printer with modification.

Advanced Pharmaceutical Applications of Hot-Melt Extrusion Coupled with Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D Printing for Personalised Drug Delivery.

Three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a fabrication process whereby a 3D object is created layer-by-layer by depositing a feedstock material such as thermoplastic polymer. The 3D printing technology has been widely used for rapid prototyping and its interest as a fabrication method has grown significantly across many disciplines. The most common 3D printing technology is called the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) which utilises thermoplastic filaments as a starting material, then extrudes the material in sequential layers above its melting temperature to create a 3D object.