Fabrication, mechanical, finite element and In vitro evaluation of 3D printed polylactide/biphasic calcium phosphate composite blends

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with biphasic calcium phosphate mixtures were extruded as filaments and subsequently 3D printed into definite shapes in accordance with the ASTM standards. The optimum combination of PLA and BCP to attain a stable 3D printed component has been respectively determined as 80 and 20 wt %. BCP inclusions in the range of 2.5 and 5 wt % in PLA led to a respective upsurge ∼11 % in tensile strength and ∼15 % upsurge in compressive strength than pure PLA. While excess BCP additions led to a decline in the material strength. Further, representative volume element models were developed using the properties of BCP and PLA to build ASTM models for performing Finite element analysis (FEA) under both static and dynamic loading conditions. FEA results specified good uniformity with the experimental mechanical data. In vitro tests ensured the biocompatibility of 3D printed PLA-BCP composites.