Processing of poly-l-lactide and poly(l-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) blends by fused filament fabrication and fused granulate fabrication using RepRap 3D printer

Abstract

The application of 3D printing by fused deposition modeling (FDM) and the low-cost RepRap 3D printer for the processing of poly-l-lactide (PLLA) and poly(l-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) (PLLATMC) blends was examined. Two blends with different mechanical properties were selected and the general scheme of their processing was proposed. For 80:20 PLLA:PLLATMC blend, fused filament fabrication (FFF) and the standard configuration of 3D printer were used, whereas for 30:70 PLLA:PLLATMC, the device was modified based on custom project for the application of fused granulate fabrication (FGF). The properties of the blends and their changes during the processing were analyzed by rheological measurements and size exclusion chromatography. Selected parameters of the printing process were optimized and their influence on the quality of the product was discussed. Both methods were used for the preparation of the scaffolds with different previously designed structures. The geometry of the scaffolds was characterized in relation to the parameters of the printing process, and base on this, the accuracy and precision of FFF and FGF methods were evaluated.