scafSLICR: A MATLAB-based slicing algorithm to enable 3D-printing of tissue engineering scaffolds with heterogeneous porous microarchitecture

Abstract

3D-printing is a powerful manufacturing tool that can create precise microscale architectures across macroscale geometries. Within biomedical research, 3D-printing of various materials has been used to fabricate rigid scaffolds for cell and tissue engineering constructs with precise microarchitecture to direct cell behavior and macroscale geometry provides patient specificity. While 3D-printing hardware has become low-cost due to modeling and rapid prototyping applications, there is no common paradigm or platform for the controlled design and manufacture of 3D-printed constructs for tissue engineering. Specifically, controlling the tissue engineering features of pore size, porosity, and pore arrangement is difficult using currently available software. We have developed a MATLAB approach termed scafSLICR to design and manufacture tissue-engineered scaffolds with precise microarchitecture and with simple options to enable spatially patterned pore properties. Using scafSLICR, we designed, manufactured, and characterized porous scaffolds in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene with a variety of pore sizes, porosities, and gradients. We found that transitions between different porous regions maintained an open, connected porous network without compromising mechanical integrity. Further, we demonstrated the usefulness of scafSLICR in patterning different porous designs throughout large anatomic shapes and in preparing craniofacial tissue engineering bone scaffolds. Finally, scafSLICR is distributed as open-source MATLAB scripts and as a stand-alone graphical interface.

A robust, autonomous, volumetric quality assurance method for 3D printed porous scaffolds

“…The cylinder volume with 25 mm diameter and 50 mm height was generated directly in MATLAB. To make these 3 volumes porous, open source scafSLICR [ 13 ] (MATLAB Central File Exchange) was used to customize porosity and slice the design for 3D printing. First, each scaffold was created with homogeneous porosity with pore width of 0.8 mm.…”

CONVEX (CONtinuously Varied EXtrusion): A new scale of design for additive manufacturing

“…This approach limits the potential to have a full control over the printing process and print path. A few studies [9,18,20] used inhouse software to directly control the 3D printing process and clearly demonstrated the benefit of this approach. For example, Geng et al [9] found the print speed to significantly affect the microstructure and dimensions of extruded PEEK filaments.…”

FullControl GCode Designer: Open-source software for unconstrained design in additive manufacturing

“…This is important for parts in which geometric features are of a similar size to the process resolution or when the geometry is directly affected by process parameters. Some relevant software has been developed to allow precise control for specific fields and applications, including: layerwise scaffold design for bioprinters [19], printing in well plates for bioprinters [20], graded scaffolds [21], fibre placement for carbon fibre reinforced printers [22][23][24], continuous extrusion for ceramics [11], controlled discontinuous extrusion for ceramics [13] and integration of multiple processes [25]. Additionally, scripts to translate CAD sketches or vector graphics into print-paths have been developed [26,27] as well as scripts for post-processing GCode generated by slicers [28].…”