Characterization of 3D Printed Metal-PLA Composite Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing is revolutionizing the development of scaffolds due to their rapid-prototyping characteristics. One of the most used techniques is fused filament fabrication (FFF), which is fast and compatible with a wide range of polymers, such as PolyLactic Acid (PLA). Mechanical properties of the 3D printed polymeric scaffolds are often weak for certain applications. A potential solution is the development of composite materials. In the present work, metal-PLA composites have been tested as a material for 3D printing scaffolds. Three different materials were tested: copper-filled PLA, bronze-filled PLA, and steel-filled PLA. Disk-shaped samples were printed with linear infill patterns and line spacing of 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 mm, respectively. The porosity of the samples was measured from cross-sectional images. Biocompatibility was assessed by culturing Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal on the surface of the printed scaffolds. The results showed that, for identical line spacing value, the highest porosity corresponded to bronze-filled material and the lowest one to steel-filled material. Steel-filled PLA polymers showed good cytocompatibility without the need to coat the material with biomolecules. Moreover, human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells differentiated towards osteoblasts when cultured on top of the developed scaffolds. Therefore, it can be concluded that steel-filled PLA bioprinted parts are valid scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

A review on polylactic acid‐based blends/composites and the role of compatibilizers in biomedical engineering applications

“…Similarly, PLA/316 L scaffolds were fabricated by fused filament process using steel particles (10 vol%), resulting in a low coefficient of thermal expansion and high dimensional accuracy 267,268 . Similar work was performed by Buj‐Corral et al 269 on the 3D printed PLA/SS scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, where the human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells were successfully cultured. Further, PLA blended with Fe microparticle can also be used as diagnostic agent for tumor detection or cancer therapy 270‐272 …”

Magnesium Hydroxide as a Versatile Nanofiller for 3D-Printed PLA Bone Scaffolds

“…Due to the wide range of processable materials, low material and use cost, environmental protection, and nontoxicity, fused deposition modeling (FDM), as the most common 3D printing technology, offers the potential for design and manufacturing in the combination of polymers and the biomedical field [ 32 , 33 ]. Furthermore, FDM has shown obvious competitiveness in the preparation of biodegradable polymer bone scaffolds including PLA [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are few studies currently available on PLA/Mg(OH) 2 porous bone scaffolds, let alone those using FDM 3D printing technology.…”

Quantitative Insight into the Compressive Strain Rate Sensitivity of Polylactic Acid, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Polyamide 12, and Polypropylene in Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

“…PLA is one of the most widely used materials in additive manufacturing [18], for various reasons such as its sustainability and eco-friendliness [19][20][21][22]. The performance of parts made by the PLA polymer has been studied and applied in a diverse range of applications [23][24][25].…”