Additive manufacturing and mechanical characterization of graded porosity scaffolds designed based on triply periodic minimal surface architectures

Author(s):  
M. Afshar ◽  
A. Pourkamali Anaraki ◽  
H. Montazerian ◽  
J. Kadkhodapour
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijia Xu ◽  
Qinghui Wang ◽  
Jingrong Li

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a general mathematic approach to model the microstructures of porous structures produced by additive manufacturing (AM), which will result in fractal surface topography and higher roughness that have greater influence on the performance of porous structures. Design/methodology/approach The overall shapes of pores were modeled by triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS), and the micro-roughness details attached to the overall pore shapes were represented by Weierstrass–Mandelbrot (W-M) fractal representation, which was integrated with TPMS along its normal vectors. An index roughly reflecting the irregularity of fractal TPMS was proposed, based on which the influence of the fractal parameters on the fractal TPMS was qualitatively analyzed. Two complex samples of real porous structures were given to demonstrate the feasibility of the model. Findings The fractal surface topography should not be neglected at a micro-scale level. In addition, a decrease in the fractal dimension Ds may exponentially make the topography rougher; an increase in the height-scaling parameter G may linearly increase the roughness; and the number of the superposed ridges has no distinct influence on the topography. Furthermore, the synthesis method is general for all implicit surfaces. Practical implications The method provides an alternative way to shift the posteriori design paradigm of porous media to priori design mode through numeric simulation. Therefore, the optimization of AM process parameters, as well as the porous structure, can be potentially realized according to specific functional requirement. Originality/value The synthesis of TPMS and W-M fractal geometry was accomplished efficiently and was general for all implicit freeform surfaces, and the influence of the fractal parameters on the fractal TPMS was analyzed more systematically.


Author(s):  
Abigail Chaffins ◽  
Mohan Yu ◽  
Pier Paolo Claudio ◽  
James B. Day ◽  
Roozbeh (Ross) Salary

Abstract Fused deposition modeling (FDM), is a direct-write material extrusion additive manufacturing process, which has emerged as a method of choice for the fabrication of a wide range of biological tissues and structures. FDM allows for non-contact, multi-material deposition of a broad spectrum of functional materials for tissue engineering applications. However, the FDM process is intrinsically complex, consisting of a multitude of parameters as well as material-machine interactions, which may adversely influence the mechanical properties, the surface morphology, and ultimately the functional integrity of fabricated bone scaffolds. Hence, process optimization in addition to physics-based characterization of the FDM process would be inevitably a need. The overarching goal of this research work is to fabricate biocompatible, porous bone scaffolds, incorporating autologous human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs), for the treatment of osseous fractures, defects, and eventually diseases. The objective of this work is to investigate the mechanical properties of several triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) bone scaffolds, fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing process. In this study, biocompatible TPMS bone scaffolds were FDM-deposited, based on a medical-grade polymer composite, composed of polyamide, polyolefin, and cellulose fibers (named PAPC-II). In addition, the experimental characterization of the TPMS bone scaffolds was on the basis of a single factor experiment. The compression properties of the fabricated bone scaffolds were measured using a compression testing machine. Furthermore, a digital image processing program was developed in the MATLAB environment to characterize the morphological properties of the fabricated bone scaffolds.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2719
Author(s):  
Shukantu Dev Nath ◽  
Sabrina Nilufar

Additive manufacturing is rapidly evolving and opening new possibilities for many industries. This article gives an overview of the current status of additive manufacturing with polymers and polymer composites. Various types of reinforcements in polymers and architectured cellular material printing including the auxetic metamaterials and the triply periodic minimal surface structures are discussed. Finally, applications, current challenges, and future directions are highlighted here.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document