Pandemic-Driven Development of a Medical-Grade, Economic and Decentralized Applicable Polyolefin Filament for Additive Fused Filament Fabrication

Molecules

卷:25

Massimo Nutini¹  ErikH. Licht²  Frederik Wenz³  BenediktC. Spies⁴  Christian Wesemann⁴  Stefano Pieralli⁴  Felix Burkhardt⁴  Marc Metzger⁵  Rolf Mülhaupt⁶  CarlG. Schirmeister⁶ 

[1] Basell Poliolefine Italia Srl, LyondellBasell Industries, P. le Privato G. Donegani 12, 44122 Ferrara, Italy;

[2] Basell Sales & Marketing B.V., LyondellBasell Industries, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany;

[3] Board of Directors, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany;

[4] Center for Dental Medicine, Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany;

[5] Center of Dental Medicine, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany;

[6] Freiburg Materials Research Center FMF and Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str. 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany;

关键词: COVID-19;    additive manufacturing;    fused filament fabrication;    fused deposition modeling;    3D printing;    polypropylene;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules25245929

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

A polyolefin with certified biocompatibility according to USP class VI was used by our group as feedstock for filament-based 3D printing to meet the highest medical standards in order to print personal protective equipment for our university hospital during the ongoing pandemic. Besides the chemical resistance and durability, as well as the ability to withstand steam sterilization, this polypropylene (PP) copolymer is characterized by its high purity, as achieved by highly efficient and selective catalytic polymerization. As the PP copolymer is suited to be printed with all common printers in fused filament fabrication (FFF), it offers an eco-friendly cost–benefit ratio, even for large-scale production. In addition, a digital workflow was established focusing on common desktop FFF printers in the medical sector. It comprises the simulation-based optimization of personalized print objects, considering the inherent material properties such as warping tendency, through to validation of the process chain by 3D scanning, sterilization, and biocompatibility analysis of the printed part. This combination of digital data processing and 3D printing with a sustainable and medically certified material showed great promise in establishing decentralized additive manufacturing in everyday hospital life to meet peaks in demand, supply bottlenecks, and enhanced personalized patient treatment.

【 授权许可】

Unknown