Soluble vs Non-Soluble Support Materials for Bone 3D Printed Anatomical Models: A Comparison on Production Time, Cost and Finish Quality

Abstract

3D anatomical models play an increasing important role in the 3D surgical planning area allowing specialists to have an anatomical representation of the patient before the intervention. The support material to print models is fundamental to ensure optimal finishing, which is why soluble support is a good option for these cases. BVOH (butanediol vinyl alcohol copolymer) is a water-soluble thermoplastic optimized for support generation on FDM (fuse deposition modelling) printing process. In addition, PVA (polyvinyl acetate) is another well-known soluble thermoplastic used for support generation. Compared to PVA, BVOH has some benefits and improvements such as better surface quality, solubility times and ease of printing resulting in a better finish of the model. In this study, we have compared the time and cost of printing the same case combining PLA or ABS with BVOH for the generation of support material and the same printing with supports of the same printing material. The obtained results show an increase in cost and printing time of 33 % with respect to printing with conventional supports. However, this increase in cost and time is offset by the finishes obtained; obtaining much better results compared to the use of non-soluble material to generate the support. It also represents an increase in productivity since for the post-processing of the piece it is only necessary to leave it in water for approximately 22min at a temperature of 50°C or 45min at a water temperature of 22°C. Moreover, compared to PVA, BVOH has shorter solubility times.Furthermore, in the cases where it is necessary to generate internal support, soluble support is the best option since it will be removed with water without leaving visible marks.In conclusion, the use of soluble support presents a clear advantage in terms of finish and increased performance of the 3D printing staff (i.e reduce the time that a person needs to speed removing non-soluble support material), but on the other hand, it presents an increase in cost and printing time.