Melt electrowriting with additive manufacturing principles

The recent development of electrostatic writing (electrowriting) with molten jets provides an opportunity to tackle some significant challenges within tissue engineering. The process uses an applied voltage to generate a stable fluid jet with a predictable path, that is continuously deposited onto a collector. The fiber diameter is variable during the process, and is applicable to polymers with a history of clinical use. Melt electrowriting therefore has potential for clinical translation if the biological efficacy of the implant can be improved over existing gold standards. It provides a unique opportunity for laboratories to perform low-cost, high resolution, additive manufacturing research that is well positioned for clinical translation, using existing regulatory frameworks.