TECHNIQUES FOR MANUFACTURING POLYMER SCAFFOLDS WITH POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING

Abstract

Build object using additive manufacturing (AM) has been researched and developed over the past 20 years. This has also led to the advancement of others areas as well as tissue engineering. The novelty and advantage of these techniques lie in the fact that  instead of basing the process in material removal, it creates three-dimensional objects layer by layers and very accurately directly from CAD (Computer Aided Design) models, with high geometric and material complexities that could not be produce through traditional manufacturing processes. In the report literature over the past two decades, it has made significant progress in the development and commercialization of new and innovative processes of AM and rapid prototyping (RP), as well as numerous applications have now created many advances in aerospace, automotive, biomedical, biomechanics, pharmacology and other fields. This article reviews the main processes and applications of this current and new technology, and is accompanied with results of some research projects where the authors have participated. It also presents what challenges and future needs in these technologies, and in turn considered other methodologies and technologies that compete with the AM and RP, such as electrospinning, hydrogels and organ printing or bioprinting.