Design and fabrication of melt electrowritten tubes using intuitive software. (5th October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McColl, Erin; Groll, Jürgen; Jungst, Tomasz; Dalton, Paul D.
• Is Part Of: Materials & design. Volume 155(2018)
• Page Start: 46
• Page End: 58
• Publication Date: 2018-10-05
• Subjects: Additive manufacturing -- 3D printing -- Electrohydrodynamic printing -- Biomaterials -- Polycaprolactone; Materials -- Periodicals; Engineering design -- Periodicals; Matériaux -- Périodiques; Conception technique -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2018.05.036
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-1275

Abstract

Abstract: This study approaches the accurate continuous direct-writing onto a cylindrical collector from a mathematical perspective, taking into account the winding angle, cylinder diameter and length required for the final 3D printed tube. Using an additive manufacturing process termed melt electrowriting (MEW), porous tubes intended for tissue engineering applications are fabricated from medical-grade poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), validating the mathematically-derived method. For the fabricated tubes in this study, the pore size, winding angle and printed length can all be planned in advance and manufactured as designed. The physical dimensions of the tubes matched theoretical predictions and mechanical testing performed demonstrated that variations in the tubular morphology have a direct impact on their strength. MEWTubes, the web-based application developed and described here, is a particularly useful tool for planning the complex continuous direct writing path required for MEW onto a rotating, cylindrical build surface. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: A web-based application with intuitive controls allows the design of different tubes, and automatically generates G-codes. A continuous direct-writing path around a cylinder was calculated and tested with a melt electrowriting printer. Melt electrowritten tubes had the winding angle, number of pivot points and pore size match predictions.