Processing of 45S5 Bioglass® by lithography-based additive manufacturing

Lithography-based Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMTs) were used for fabricating cellular structures made of 45S5 Bioglass®. Using AMTs it is possible to design and fabricate cellular structures with a resolution of around 40 μm and wall thicknesses down to 200 μm. The presented process relies on selectively polymerizing a photosensitive, ceramic-filled resin with a dynamic mask. The dynamic mask is based on a digital mirror array which projects blue light (light emitting diodes with a wavelength of 460 nm) onto the resin. The mechanical properties of sintered bulk samples (biaxial strength) and cylindrical cellular structures (compressive strength) were determined. The biaxial strength of the manufactured samples was 40 MPa, and the compressive strength of the cellular structure was 0.33 MPa, which is slightly lower than the strength of porous Bioglass® structures made by the foam replica method. Lithography-based AMT offers an excellent alternative to existing bone implant and scaffold fabrication methods providing accurate control of 3D morphology and pore architecture.

► Bioglass® is fabricated by lithography-based additive manufacturing technique.
► The customized Bioglass® component for bone implant can be designed and created.
► The mechanical properties of solid and cellular structures have been investigated.