title: Use of stereolithography to manufacture critical-sized 3D biodegradable scaffolds for bone ingrowth.
abstract: A novel approach to the manufacture of biodegradable polymeric scaffolds for tissue-engineering utilizing stereolithography (SLA) is presented. SLA is a three-dimensional (3D) printing method that uses an ultraviolet laser to photo-crosslink a liquid polymer substrate. The current generation of SLA devices provide a 3D printing resolution of 0.1 mm. The experiments utilized a biodegradable resin mixture of diethyl fumarate (DEF), poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF), and a photoinitiator, bisacylphosphine oxide (BAPO). The PPF is crosslinked with the use of the SLA's UV laser (325-nm wavelength). An SLA device was retrofitted with a custom fixture build tank enclosing an elevator-driven build table. A 3D prototype model testing the manufacturing control this device provides was created in a computer-aided-design package. The resulting geometric data were used to drive the SLA process, and a DEF/PPF prototype part was successfully manufactured. These scaffolds have application in the tissue engineering of bony substrates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Malcolm N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rimnac
authors.forename: Antonios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mikos
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D017102:Fracture Healing; D005650:Fumarates; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008422:Materials Testing; D010012:Osteogenesis; D011126:Polypropylenes; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D005650:Fumarates; D011126:Polypropylenes; C097850:poly(propylene fumarate)