Porous scaffolds of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) fabricated by Selective User Sintering technology (SLS) for bone engineering

摘要

In this study, Selective Laser Sintering Technology (SLS) was used for the construction of porous scaffolds of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) with potential application in bone engineering. The influence of the SLS process parameters on morphological and mechanical properties of the scaffolds made from two different digital models was evaluated. The results indicated the possibility of reuse of the remaining SLS processing powder. The first model was reproduced using different laser power (PL), resulting scaffolds with porosity ranging from 51.6 to 77.5% and mechanical properties with anisotropic characteristics in compression. The second model was built following 33 complete factorial design, and the optimal parameters laser power (18.8 W), the scan spacing (0.19 mm) and layer thickness (0.13 mm) were determined to obtain scaffolds having the following approximate characteristics: a low to moderate distortion in the structure, dimensional deviation from the computational model 43% (pore size) and 2.37% (external dimensions), degree of porosity of 70%, modulus and compression strength of 35 MPa and 1.5 MPa, respectively.