Bioprinting is a form of 3D printing that uses various techniques to compose growth factors, cells and biomaterials and construct biomedical parts. These parts are designed to demonstrate characteristics of natural tissues. Bioprinting techniques include CNC-based extrusion printing and SLA light-based printing. A technique well suited to parts structure or scaffolding is SLS, or selective laser sintering.
What is SLS
SLS 3D bioprinting forms 3D solid structures with a high-power laser. The additive manufacturing process forms scaffolds through a powder sintering process. 3D software directs selective laser printing on a powder bed surface and fuses the material. Progressive layers build a part or scaffold that’s supported by the surrounding powder. The part is later removed and cleaned. Materials include polymers, metals and ceramics.
Applications
SLS is suitable for tissue engineering and systems for drug delivery. Tissue engineering can involve scaffolds made with polymeric biomaterials or derivative composites.
Such fabrications include biocompatible bone scaffolds that successfully support cell growth and proliferation and structural bases immersed in collagen or gelatin for engineering cartilage tissue. Titanium meshes made with SLS 3D bioprinting have also served to custom produce prosthetic bone augmentations.
Advantages of SLS
A primary advantage of SLS is its ability to create parts from a wide variety of biomaterials. The process also requires no extra support for parts during construction. The powder bed acts as a support and can also be recycled for further runs.
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