Table 1 Types of AM in biomedical applications. Adapted from [46]
From: 3D printing of graphene-based polymeric nanocomposites for biomedical applications
AM Technique | Polymer | Resolution | Biomedical Applications | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FDM | Polylactic acid (PLA); Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS); Polycarbonate (PC); Nylon | 100–200 μm | Scaffolds for cell culture, and tissue engineering | Low cost, high strength, composite materials, not using toxic solvents | Nozzle clogging, anisotropy, lower resolution, thermal degradation of polymer |
DIW | Alginate (ALG); Chitosan (CHI); collagen; gelatin; silk | 1–100 μm | Tissue regeneration, wound healing, drug delivery | Structures with different geometries, sizes, and materials | Formulation of inks |
SLA | Photocurable resin (epoxy or acrylate-based resin) | 1.2–200 μm | Scaffolds for cell culture, tissue, and organ | High resolution, fast, good cell viability, nozzle free | Cytotoxicity, high cost, material limitation, possible harm to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by UV |
SLS | Polycaprolactone (PCL), Polyamide (PA) power | 100–200 μm | Temporary and degradable rigid implants | Good strength, easy removal of support, no solvents required | High cost, medium resolution, post-processing required |