Inkjet 3dprinting of polymers resistant to fungal attachment

Abstract

Inkjet 3D printing is an additive manufacturing method that allows the user to produce a small batch of customized devices for comparative study versus commercial products. Here, we describe the use of a commercial 2D ink development system (Dimatix material printing) to manufacture small batches of 3D medical or other devices using a recentlycharacterized fungal anti-attachment material. Such printed devices may resist problems that beset commercial medical products due to colonization by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. By sequentially introducing the cross-section bitmapsof the product's CAD model and elevating the print head height usingthe auto-clicking script, we were able to createcomplex self-support geometries with the 2D ink development system. The use of this protocol allows researchers to produce a small batch of specimens for characterization fromonly a few grams of raw material. Additionally, wedescribe the testing of manufactured specimens for fungal anti-attachment. In comparisonwith most commercial AM systems, which require at least a few hundred grams ofink for printing trials, our protocol is well suited for smaller-scale production in material studies.