Melt electrowriting to produce microfiber fragments

Over the past decade, melt electrowriting (MEW) has established the fundamental understanding of processing (and printer) requirements. Iterative work on parametric development and dissemination of this recent additive manufacturing technology has been performed across many systems and polymers (mainly poly-(𝝐-caprolactone)), showing similarities and trends. However, the software and hardware ecosystems of MEW are not mature. Further, due to its multi-parametric nature, MEW can be challenging for laboratories to master. This review intends to provide a unique perspective on the dynamic relationship between MEW processing parameters. Such parameters can be divided into 1) those that affect the polymer flow rate to or 2) from the nozzle, and 3) environmental conditions. The most influential parameters for high-quality printing are applied voltage, applied pressure, collector speed, polymer temperature, nozzle diameter, and the conditions that lead to charge buildup (e.g., relative humidity). Other factors such as ambient temperature, nozzle size, and protrusion, collector temperature and conductivity, and collector distance can all affect the process. Success for MEW printing means fibers fall onto the collector according to their pre-programmed path with predicted fiber diameter. Here, the authors elucidate how the dynamic relationship between these parameters can converge into ideal printing conditions to produce scaffolds.

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Section: A Mew Handbook: Exploring the Relationships Between Processi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By maintaining an elevated ambient temperature of 36 °C and high relative humidity of 60% that favor the breaking of the jet, micro‐fragments with controlled fiber length were printed onto a microrelief substrate. [ 39 ]…”

Section: A Mew Handbook: Exploring the Relationships Between Processi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Decade of Melt Electrowriting

O'Neill

Dalton

2023

Small Methods

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Materials and Strategies to Enhance Melt Electrowriting Potential

Saiz,

Reizabal,

Vilas‐Vilela

et al. 2024

Advanced Materials

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Melt electrowriting (MEW) is an emerging additive manufacturing (AM) technology that enables the precise deposition of continuous polymeric microfibers, allowing for the creation of high‐resolution constructs. In recent years, MEW has undergone a revolution, with the introduction of active properties or additional functionalities through novel polymer processing strategies, the incorporation of functional fillers, post‐processing, or the combination with other techniques. While extensively explored in biomedical applications, MEW's potential in other fields remains untapped. Thus, this review explores MEW's characteristics from a materials science perspective, emphasizing the diverse range of materials and composites processed by this technique and their current and potential applications. Additionally, the prospects offered by post‐printing processing techniques are explored, together with the synergy achieved by combining melt electrowriting with other manufacturing methods. By highlighting the untapped potentials of MEW, this review aims to inspire research groups across various fields to leverage this technology for innovative endeavors.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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The Design and Fabrication of Engineered Tubular Tissue Constructs Enabled by Electrohydrodynamic Fabrication Techniques: A Review

Zhang,

Cao,

Zaeri

et al. 2024

Macro Materials & Eng

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Electrohydrodynamic processes have emerged as promising methods for fabricating polymetric fiber‐based artificial tubular tissues. Existing review articles focus on the biological applications and processing materials associated with electrohydrodynamic processes in artificial tubular constructs, while overlooking the design and fabrication of these constructs. To address this gap, this review article emphasizes the design and fabrication of tubular tissue constructs enabled by employing electrohydrodynamic processes. This article begins by presenting an overview of two electrohydrodynamic processes: solution electrospinning (SE) and melt electrowriting (MEW). It then delves into the control of the fiber diameter enabled by SE and MEW, offering insights into the manipulation of processing parameters to achieve desired fiber diameters. Additionally, the review highlights cutting‐edge strategies for electrohydrodynamic processes to create tubular structures with customized microarchitectures. This includes fiber alignment control for SE and pore morphology design for MEW. Moreover, the review covers the creation of customized macroscale tubular geometries through collector geometry design. Lastly, a comprehensive survey is presented for designing multiphasic tubular structures specifically for electrohydrodynamic techniques or in tandem with other techniques. The objective of this review is to offer a thorough understanding of the design considerations and potential applications of tubular structures fabricated by electrohydrodynamic processes.

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Melt electrowriting to produce microfiber fragments

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

A Decade of Melt Electrowriting

A Decade of Melt Electrowriting

Materials and Strategies to Enhance Melt Electrowriting Potential

The Design and Fabrication of Engineered Tubular Tissue Constructs Enabled by Electrohydrodynamic Fabrication Techniques: A Review

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