A review on stereolithography and its applications in biomedical engineering.
Stereolithography is a solid freeform technique (SFF) that was introduced in the late 1980s. Although many other techniques have been developed since then, stereolithography remains one of the most powerful and versatile of all SFF techniques. It has the highest fabrication accuracy and an increasing number of materials that can be processed is becoming available. In this paper we discuss the characteristic features of the stereolithography technique and compare it to other SFF techniques. The biomedical applications of stereolithography are reviewed, as well as the biodegradable resin materials that have been developed for use with stereolithography. Finally, an overview of the application of stereolithography in preparing porous structures for tissue engineering is given.
Melchels
Ferry P W
FP
MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, Department of Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
Feijen
Jan
J
Grijpma
Dirk W
DW
D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D012117:Resins, Synthetic / Q000737:chemistry
D012117:Resins, Synthetic