Researchers at the University of Florida have succeeded in developing a new 3D printing technology that allows medical implants and attachments to be printed. The production method produces stronger, cheaper, more flexible and comfortable implants than traditional manufacturing methods. The method can be used to produce implantable bands and balloons, as well as soft catheters and medical gauze, among other things.
Currently, implants are cast in many cases. However, this production method has its limitations. For example, a mould must be produced for each implant before the implant can be cast. Producing customised implants is therefore very time-consuming and results in a long production time. In addition, very small and complex implants, such as drains with pressure-sensitive valves, cannot be cast in one go.
3D printing in soft silicone
University of Florida researchers have found a solution. The researchers have discovered a way to print implants made of soft silicone using a 3D printer. In this process, the product is printed in a container filled with microscopic hydrogel particles, which support the implant during printing. This was not possible before, as hydrogel particles are traditionally water-based. However, the soft silicones from which the implants are produced are oil-based, so they cannot be combined with water-based hydrogel.
The solution to this problem was found during another project, with the same University of Florida researchers focusing on organ and tissue printing. For this project, the team developed an oil-based variant of the hydrogel particles. "Once we started printing oil-based silicone ink in an oil-based microgel, printed parts retained their shapes," explains Tommy Angelini, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace at the University of Florida. "We were able to create very good 3D-printed silicone parts - the best I have ever seen."
Printing highly complex structures
"Our new material provides support for liquid silicone as it is 3D-printed, allowing us to create highly complex structures and even encapsulated silicone elastomer parts," said Christopher O'Bryan, a doctoral student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. Consider the aforementioned drains with pressure-sensitive valves, which cannot be cast in one go. Other encapsulated parts can also be printed thanks to oil-based hydrogel particles. The researchers argue that the production method can additionally be used to produce new implantable devices that deliver drugs to the human body in phases.
Cutting costs
The researchers expect that their discovery could help reduce the cost of medical implants. "The public is more sensitive than ever to the high cost of medical care. Almost monthly, we see great discontent in both the media and the public about high healthcare costs, waste in hospitals and exorbitant drug costs," Angelini said. "Everyone agrees that the cost of medicine must be reduced."
As mentioned, the University of Florida team is not only focusing on 3D printing medical implants, but also 3D printing organs and human tissue. This remains the team's primary goal, although the researchers do not expect to achieve this in the short term. "The reality is that we are probably decades away from large-scale implantation of 3D-printed tissue and organs in patients," Angelini explains. However, 3D-printed medical implants could be widely used in the near future.
By: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Shutterstock
