Additive Manufacturing of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Biomedical Implants with Dual-Scale Porosity

2018 ◽  
Vol 303 (9) ◽  
pp. 1800247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Puppi ◽  
Andrea Morelli ◽  
Francesca Bello ◽  
Simone Valentini ◽  
Federica Chiellini
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Biomedical Implants ◽  
Poly Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Dual Scale

scholarly journals Processing Conditions of a Medical Grade Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) with the Arburg Plastic Freeforming Additive Manufacturing Process

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2677
Author(s):  
Lukas Hentschel ◽  
Frank Kynast ◽  
Sandra Petersmann ◽  
Clemens Holzer ◽  
Joamin Gonzalez-Gutierrez
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Tensile Properties ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
Processing Conditions ◽  
Poly Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Geometrical Accuracy ◽  
Deposition Parameters ◽  
Chamber Temperature ◽  
Medical Grade

The Arburg Plastic Freeforming process (APF) is a unique additive manufacturing material jetting method. In APF, a thermoplastic material is supplied as pellets, melted and selectively deposited as droplets, enabling the use of commercial materials in their original shape instead of filaments. The medical industry could significantly benefit from the use of additive manufacturing for the onsite fabrication of customized medical aids and therapeutic devices in a fast and economical way. In the medical field, the utilized materials need to be certified for such applications and cannot be altered in any way to make them printable, because modifications annul the certification. Therefore, it is necessary to modify the processing conditions rather than the materials for successful printing. In this research, a medical-grade poly(methyl methacrylate) was analyzed. The deposition parameters were kept constant, while the drop aspect ratio, discharge rate, melt temperatures, and build chamber temperature were varied to obtain specimens with different geometrical accuracy. Once satisfactory geometrical accuracy was obtained, tensile properties of specimens printed individually or in batches of five were tested in two different orientations. It was found that parts printed individually with an XY orientation showed the highest tensile properties; however, there is still room for improvement by optimizing the processing conditions to maximize the mechanical strength of printed specimens.

Fabricating poly(methyl methacrylate) parts using high-speed sintering

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 118-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan Bharaj ◽  
Sourabh Paul ◽  
Kamran Aamir Mumtaz ◽  
Michael Chisholm ◽  
Neil Hopkinson
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Amorphous Polymer ◽  
Laser Sintering ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Poly Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Particle Bonding ◽  
Absorbing Material ◽  
Manufacturing Technologies

The ability of high-speed sintering to fabricate fully functional polymer parts at higher production rates as compared to other alternative additive manufacturing processes makes it prudent to further investigate its capability in processing different materials. The preferential deposition of a radiation absorbing material, which is often presented in the form of a liquid ink, on the powder bed can be considered the highlight of this technology. The effect of ‘print density’, that is, the amount of ink which is deposited, on the mechanical properties of parts made of an amorphous polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate), was investigated along with its potential role in controlling the porosity and partial melting. The ultimate tensile strength was measured and compared to other additive manufacturing technologies such as laser sintering and was found to be comparable, possibly due to the gradual supply of heat from the infrared lamp which allowed the amorphous poly(methyl methacrylate) particles to melt and have proper bonding with neighbouring particles as compared to the fast lasing action in laser sintering, where the sudden introduction and the withdrawal of the heat source (laser) led to poor inter-particle bonding.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document