Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) of Biomedical Polymers

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Additive manufacturing of biomedical-grade polymers requires the use of dedicated equipment (3D printers) that enable the fabrication of objects of various levels of complexity, made from a variety of polymers with different mechanical and physico-chemical properties. 3D-printed biomedical polymers can be either very soft hydrogels, biological substances (e.g. extracellular matrix, collagen), or very strong and resistant high-performance thermoplastics (e.g. PEEK). Very often, biomedical objects must be fabricated with components combining different types of polymers. The polymers used as raw materials for 3D printing devices can be improved with a wide range of functional additives, such as contrast agents for MRI or C-ray visibility and radioisotopes for medical physics applications. Developing additive-enhanced biomedical-grade polymers requires the deployment of dedicated extruders within the 3D biomedical polymer printing facility. Finally, the new composite materials extruded for 3D printing applications must be precisely measured by thermogravimetric analysis to assess their behaviour and stability in the different ranges of temperature of the 3D printing operation. The requested infrastructure will be used by a highly productive and proactive team of research collaborators involved in the fields of biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, polymer forming, medical physics, biomedical imaging, and regenerative medicine. Several ongoing research projects are hindered by technological challenges related to the forming of polymer and hybrid (nano)materials of increasing levels of complexity. The requested infrastructure consists of (1) polymer printers covering the majority of biomedical-grade polymers; (2) polymer extruders; and (3) one thermogravimetric analyzer. The new infrastructure will be of significant benefit to a vast number of HQPs by providing advanced training opportunities with state-of-the art 3D polymer printing technology at a very critical time in this rapidly expanding area of biomaterial-forming technologies.