Melt Electrospinning is a method used to produce continuous micro to nanoscale fibres. Although it has been nearly a century since its discovery, the potential for Melt Electrospinning applications has just begun to garner attention. When combined with the Direct-Writing process it was realised that normally random fibre deposits could be controlled and 3D constructs formed and a new technology was born known as Melt Electrospinning 3D Printing. Currently this technology is being utilized in medical research to produce scaffolds for cellular growth. Key setbacks to this technology are the excessive time it takes for suitable scaffolds to be produced. This problem could be overcome through the up-scaling of MEW printers.This report aimed to test the printing accuracy of a simple up-scaled device to prove the feasibility of this technology for industrial use. An up-scaled prototype based on a smaller MEW printer was designed and constructed by students at Queensland University of Technology. The new machine included eight printing heads instead of one, a larger Collector and larger range of motion. These upscaled features were analysed to determine potential sources of inaccuracy. Several printing experiments were performed to show scaffolds met certain requirements for use in medical research. First that fibre diameter is consistent and below 25μm. Pore size control must be demonstrated and a minimal pore size of 40000μm 2 achieved. Finally, as an additional benefit of a multi-headed device it was desired to show that a single large scaffold could be produced using all four heads on one side.The fibre diameters produced show a high level of accuracy and fell below the maximum allowable size. Pore control could be seen but was not consistent in all scaffolds produced. Similarly the 40000μm 2 pore size was also demonstrated but not uniformly across scaffolds. A single large scaffold was successfully produced using multiple heads.The results showed that the successful up-scaling MEW is achievable. The small alterations in fibre diameter were attributed to small inaccuracy in the alignment of the U-Frame. Inconsistencies in pore control were identified as being related to design. Areas on the Collector that were nearer to secured foundations or the centre of mass showed excellent pore control as they were less prone vibrations.
Reconstructing a chest wall defect with the aid of three-dimensional printed pleural contourIn Ewing sarcoma of a rib, Rao et al. advise that resection of the involved rib plus one adjacent rib on either side is necessary for margin control. 1 This has been shown to achieve excellent long-term survival in children and adolescents, 2 but presents reconstructive challenges. The goals of chest wall reconstruction are protection of the intrathoracic contents, optimization of respiratory mechanics, support for the shoulder and upper extremity and restoration of trunk contour. 3 Typically, a polypropylene mesh and methyl methacrylate (MMA) 'sandwich' is used for reconstruction. [1][2][3] Reliance of
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