3D biomimetic scaffold’s dimensional accuracy: a crucial geometrical response for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Abstract Additive manufacturing has emerged as a trending methodology for producing different simple to complex geometries in minimum lead time, which in turn gives better quality attributes when compared to conventional manufacturing procedures. Fabrication of polylactic acid-based porous scaffold prototypes by 3-dimensional printing has been extensively performed successfully by many researchers. The dimensional accuracy of the 3-dimensional printed part is a very crucial aspect of bone tissue engineering. Dimensional precision of 3-dimensional biomimetic scaffolds has been a response characteristic somehow less focused on by researchers, though it is essential as it acts as a stereotype for defect recuperation while consequently developing extracellular matrix and bone regeneration. The present paper fosters re-tuning the process parameters of a fused deposition modeling based 3-dimensional printer while considering the dimensional precision as a response parameter by the Taguchi optimization technique using a full factorial design L27 orthogonal array set of design of experiments. The crystallinity of the polylactic acid filament material was assessed using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The thermal breakdown of filament material was investigated utilizing a thermogravimetric analyzer. According to Taguchi’s signal-to-noise ratios, the optimum values were 0.14 mm of layer thickness, 20 mm s−1 of printing speed, and 80 % of infill percentage. In order to justify the results, response surface methodology was employed. R-square values for Taguchi and the response surface models were 88.61 % and 68.71 %, respectively.