3D printing of polymeric tissue engineering scaffolds using open-source fused deposition modeling

Abstract

Open-source printing is a field where the cost of printing additive manufacturing products is cheaper due to more economical software and parts to construct a product including those of tissue engineering scaffolds. In this manuscript, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is used as the main avenue of open-source use in 3D printing of tissue engineering scaffolds. Additive manufacturing enables the researchers to build 3D products with interior and exterior architectures precisely defined and produced using open-access software which dictates the printer to print the models or the data obtained by various imaging techniques. In this way, implants to suit the dimensions and the mechanical and physicochemical properties needed for an artificial extracellular matrix can be produced. The main limitations are the limited number of printing materials and their unknown compositions which make their biocompatibility an issue. With the recent developments of in-house filament production, this limitation is also being overcome.