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Title: Embedded Fused Deposition Modeling of PCL Orbital Implants With Enhanced Performance
Abstract Orbital implants are necessary for reconstructing fractured orbital walls and are traditionally fabricated using titanium or polyethylene, but these materials result in medical complications such as increased risk of implant migration and hemorrhaging. Therefore, orbital implants constructed from biocompatible and biodegradable polymers have been recently researched to mitigate these risks. Material extrusion three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques, especially fused deposition modeling (FDM), can be applied to produce patient-specific orbital implants. However, current structures fabricated by FDM usually possess poor mechanical properties and high surface roughness. In this work, an embedded FDM method is designed and implemented to fabricate polycaprolactone (PCL) orbital implants with increased mechanical properties and surface morphology through the development and utilization of a temperature-stable yield-stress suspension comprised of fumed silica particles and a sunflower oil solvent. The rheological properties of the suspension were measured and tuned to produce a viable support bath material above the melting temperature of PCL. Filaments, single-layer sheets, and tensile test samples were printed to optimize the printing parameters, verify the surface morphology, and validate the mechanical properties, respectively. After that, a numerical simulation was performed to determine the mechanical robustness of the designed orbital implant model. Finally, the orbital implant was printed, measured, and implanted into a mock-up orbital socket to verify the viability of the proposed embedded FDM method.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2229004
PAR ID:
10563385
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date Published:
ISBN:
978-0-7918-8810-0
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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