Development of new filaments for 3D printing based on bio-inspired ceramics

Abstract

3D printing allows the development of devices in a wide range of sectors, including the automotive industry, construction, aeronautics, food, textiles and also biomedical, among others. There are several technologies being the impression by molten deposition (FDM) one of the most widespread. In the particular case of biomedical engineering, three are the main application and research axes: (1) biomodels for the preparation of surgical interventions, (2) design and manufacture of customized biomedical devices and (3) porous scaffolds for regenerative medicine. The objective of the present study focuses on the development of a new filament for 3D-FDM printing composed of polylactic acid (PLA) and a biphasic crystalline bioceramic of marine origin (Biofast). Several filament formulations were obtained after extrusion of mixtures with variable proportions PLA / Biofast. The physical-chemical properties of both the filament and the printed pieces were studied by scanning electron microscopy, Raman and IR spectroscopy. The analyzes show that the bioceramic particles are evenly distributed in the polymer matrix and their incorporation can be controlled depending on the selected mixture. As for the crystal structure and links, manufacturing processes do not originate modifications that may affect the biocompatibility of the final device. Thus, these new filaments are shown as potential candidates for application in biomedical engineering.