US 11,931,951 B2
Dual printing additive manufacturing of 3D scaffolds with channel diameters ranging from 100-500 microns
Murat Guvendiren, Metuchen, NJ (US); and Shen Ji, Kearny, NJ (US)
Assigned to New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ (US)
Filed by New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ (US)
Filed on Sep. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/951,568.
Application 17/951,568 is a division of application No. 16/533,216, filed on Aug. 6, 2019, granted, now 11,491,702.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/715,869, filed on Aug. 8, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0037768 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. B29C 64/106 (2017.01); A61L 27/50 (2006.01); A61L 27/52 (2006.01); B29C 64/40 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 70/00 (2020.01); B33Y 80/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/106 (2017.08) [A61L 27/507 (2013.01); A61L 27/52 (2013.01); B29C 64/40 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/00 (2014.12); B33Y 80/00 (2014.12)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for making a 3D scaffold, comprises:
directly and sequentially printing a photocurable matrix material and a photocurable sacrificial material in a single step by a dual extrusion based printing;
fabricating a vascularized scaffold; and
wherein the photocurable matrix material and sacrificial material is not a shear thinning material, and the sequential printing of the sacrificial material is within the matrix material; forming an embedded channels having a diameter either same or varied within a range of about 100 μm-500 μm; and performing the following steps:
(i) dual printing the uncured matrix material up to a specific thickness for forming a printed layer for the printing of the photocurable polymer matrix material layer;
(ii) exposing the matrix material to a light source after each of the printed layer, and partially crosslinking the uncured matrix material layer to form a partial crosslinking layer to allow self-supporting of the matrix material;
(iii) printing a second uncured matrix material layer on top of the partial crosslinking layer;
(iv) printing the sacrificial layer with a sacrificial material within the second uncured matrix material layer;
(v) exposing the partial crosslinking layer and the second uncured matrix material layer to the light source after printing of the sacrificial material inside the second uncured matrix material layer;
(vi) printing a new layer of uncured matrix material on top of the second uncured matrix material layer that is now cured;
repeating above (i) through (vi) steps to create a vascular scaffold in a desired thickness;
exposing the scaffold to the light source to fully crosslink the scaffold after printing and the desired thickness is achieved; and
immersing the scaffold into an aqueous solution to remove the sacrificial material for the formation of the plurality of embedded channels.