Multi-Material Soft Matter Robotic Fabrication: A Proof of Concept in Patient-Specific Neurosurgical Surrogates
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Soft matter 3D printing provides the capability to fabricate 3D structures by depositing hydrogel inks in granular gel support material. To date, there has been little work reported using this method to fabricate complex-shaped models with multiple materials in a timely fashion. The aim of this project is to introduce recent research of multi-material soft-matter extrusion and deposition for fast freeform fabrication of 3D structures, and to present a process for automating the fabrication of patient-specific neuro-anatomic models for surgical training. A compact design of multi-material extrusion printhead is described, which is capable of fabricating 3D structures from multiple inks. This approach provides a fast and efficient way to convert a virtual volumetric model into a physical extruded hydrogel structure using the multi-material soft-matter robotic fabrication system. In addition to fabrication of neurosurgical phantoms, the capabilities we describe may be useful in broader application contexts such as general soft matter robotic fabrication, pharmaceutical testing, and extrusion-based bioprinting.
DOI: 10.26153/tsw/17451
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3217698597