Extrusion-based 3D printing of silicones for medical applications

Author

Nieva Esteve, Gloria

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has an enormous potential to revolutionize the medical field due to its advantages, such as freedom of design, the ability to manufacture complex structures, as well as fast prototyping. However, it is an emerging technology and the limited availability of biocompatible materials that can be processed is a problem that needs to be overcome. Considering this issue and the growing demand for elastomeric components in this sector, the development of novel materials for this technology should target this type of materials. In this sense, silicone has been used in a wide variety of medical devices. Examples are implants, reusable and single-use components, hospital equipment and surgical tools. Therefore, the development of protocols to combine silicone with 3D printing offers great opportunities in this field. Nevertheless, there are several drawbacks in processing silicone using 3D printing due to intrinsic properties of the material. For instance, its high viscosity and rheological properties can make difficult to extrude them through a printing nozzle in a precise manner. In addition, silicones are thermosetting polymers, which form irreversible chemical bonds during the curing process. Therefore, the temperature cannot be used to improve the printability of the material without affecting the formation of the crosslinked network.
To overcome these challenges, in this project we will develop protocols to use different silicones as a material to fabricate medical devices using extrusion-based 3D printing. In particular, this work will focus on two biomedical applications. On the one hand, we will develop a reproducible methodology to obtain a series of formulations with different viscoelastic properties to improve the printability of a photocurable silicone. In addition, these formulations are proposed as a solution to mimic the real characteristics of organs in anatomical structures models used to practice and plan surgeries. On the other hand, a methodology to design and print personalized tracheal stents adapted to the actual anatomy of the patient to open the obstructed airways is described. The use of medical-grade silicone for printing poses this personalized stent as a directly implantable solution to migration problems raised from the non-adaptability of commercial stents.

Director

Borrós i Gómez, Salvador
Teixidó Bartes, Robert

Degree

IQS SE - Master’s Degree in Bioengineering

Date

2020-06-26