Development of a Robotic Arm Based Hydrogel Additive Manufacturing System for In-Situ Printing

Abstract

Abstract:In-situ printing is a promising injury repair technique that can be directly applied during surgical operations. This paper features a potential in-situ printing platform based on a small-scale robotic arm with a micro-sized dispenser valve. A double-light-source curing method was applied to print poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) with a 20% (weight/volume) ratio and the entire process was controlled automatically by a computer interface where droplet diameter, curing time, mechanical properties were measured and essential printing parameters (e.g., nozzle velocity, nozzle frequency) were determined. Three different two-dimensional (2D) plane models (namely, square, circular, and heart-shaped) were printed during initial printing trials. The feasibility study of in-situ printing on curved surfaces was tested using a three-dimensional (3D) printed defect model. The defect was successfully filled using both parallel and ring printing paths. In conclusion, the robotic arm printing platform and its forming method can achieve a rapid curing of PEGDA hydrogel on a curved surface and has the potential to be applied to in-situ printing.

The arrival of commercial bioprinters – Towards 3D bioprinting revolution!

“…For this to come true, portable bioprinters need to be designed and tested. There have already been some efforts in this direction, including the development of a hand-held bioprinting device called BioPen[ 113 , 114 ] and the concept of Robotic arm based printer[ 115 ].…”

Review and New Aspects in Combining Multipoint Moulding and Additive Manufacturing

“…In addition to the often-used plastics, also gel-like or liquid materials are used, for example, in medical applications. LI et al [38] present such a procedure for direct skin reconstruction. In addition to the often-used plastics, also gel-like or liquid materials are used, for example, in medical applications.…”

“…In addition to the often-used plastics, also gel-like or liquid materials are used, for example, in medical applications. LI et al [38] present such a procedure for direct skin reconstruction.…”

Recent Advances in Enabling Technologies in 3D Printing for Precision Medicine

“…Other methods of in vivo fabrication have incorporated versatile robotic arms as dispensing heads for contoured extrusion during assembly. One group built a robotic arm inkjet bioprinter for in situ printing for repair of skin defects with PEGDA . Others developed a remote center of motion mechanism (RCM) bioprinter that is compatible with minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for treatment of critical size bone and cartilage defects .…”