Additive manufacturing techniques for the production of tissue engineering constructs

Abstract

'Additive manufacturing' (AM) refers to a class of manufacturing processes based on the building of a solid object from three-dimensional (3D) model data by joining materials, usually layer upon layer. Among the vast array of techniques developed for the production of tissue-engineering (TE) scaffolds, AM techniques are gaining great interest for their suitability in achieving complex shapes and microstructures with a high degree of automation, good accuracy and reproducibility. In addition, the possibility of rapidly producing tissue-engineered constructs meeting patient's specific requirements, in terms of tissue defect size and geometry as well as autologous biological features, makes them a powerful way of enhancing clinical routine procedures. This paper gives an extensive overview of different AM techniques classes (i.e. stereolithography, selective laser sintering, 3D printing, melt-extrusion-based techniques, solution/slurry extrusion-based techniques, and tissue and organ printing) employed for the development of tissue-engineered constructs made of different materials (i.e. polymeric, ceramic and composite, alone or in combination with bioactive agents), by highlighting their principles and technological solutions.

3D Printing of Personalized Artificial Bone Scaffolds

“…This suggests the need for using additive manufacturing (AM) technology along with computer -aided design (CAD) so that bone grafts or scaffolds with complex shapes, identified in patients via medical imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging, can be manufactured. 8,9 These grafts or scaffolds could then be used in biomedical applications ranging from customized medical implant design to tissue engineering. 10,11 AM also has the distinct advantage of enabling scaffolds or artificial constructs to be built with predefined micro -as well as macrostructures.…”

Form Follows Environment: Biomimetic Approaches to Building Envelope Design for Environmental Adaptation

“…The complex geometries that are also found in nature, e.g., variable thicknesses, lattices, and grading composites, are widely applied in additive manufacturing (AM) for product development [92]. Advances in AM can be noticed in medical applications, where customization for individuals to enhance functionality is a critical issue [93,94]. AM in buildings or mainly in construction is gaining more attention, yet successful applications are limited [95].…”

Biomedical Applications from a Direct Digital Manufacturing Perspective

“…To do so, through an engineering process scaffolds are biofabricated and e.g. further seeded with patient's cells and/or growth factors [11]. These scaffolds play a major role in the regeneration process and have been extensively studied in the last years [12].…”