Additive Manufacturing of Polymer-Based Bio-implants Using the Fused Filament Fabrication Process

Abstract

The additive manufacturing (AM) technology has proved its potential capability to fabricate complex anatomical geometrical customized parts for biomedical applications. One of the significant bottlenecks in restricting the widespread commercial acceptance of 3D printing in biomanufacturing is the availability of biocompatible, biodegradable, chemically inert biomaterial. The use of 3D additive manufacturing technology was initially limited to the fabrication of anatomical prototype models for product design consideration, showcasing and educational training purposes. This latest advancement in biomaterials leads to the exploration of technology in the development of novel biocompatible and biodegradable materials for the use in orthopedic, spine, maxilla-facial, cranial and others 3D printing manufactures complex design implants as per the customized requirement of a very complex three-dimensional physical model and prototype parts directly from computer of the patient with an exact match. The Fused filament fabrication technology enhancing the commercial use of various polymers and polymer-based composites in the medical field for the fabrication of Scaffolds structures and clinical devices tissue engineering systems. This manuscript focuses on the development of novel biomaterials, optimization of various critical fabrication printing process parameters to improve the surface quality, mechanical properties and improving the functionality of bioimplants.