Customisable Tablet Printing: The Development of Multimaterial Hot Melt Inkjet 3D Printing to Produce Complex and...

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Additive Manufacturing
• Materials Science

Background:

• 3D printing enables complex multi-material pharmaceutical dosage forms.
• Tailored dosing and drug release are key pharmaceutical goals.
• Solvent-free printing reduces processing time and cost.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a dual material hot-melt inkjet 3D printing system.
• To explore the potential for personalized dosage forms with controlled drug release.
• To validate the use of Compritol HD5 ATO as a printable pharmaceutical lipid.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel dual material hot-melt inkjet 3D printer.
• Formulated drug-free and drug-loaded inks using Compritol HD5 ATO and Fenofibrate.
• Printed single and multi-material 3D constructs with varying drug concentrations (5-30% w/w).
• Investigated drug release profiles (immediate, extended, delayed, pulsatile).

Main Results:

• Successfully printed multi-material constructs with precise control over drug localization.
• Demonstrated solvent-free hot-melt inkjet printing of Compritol HD5 ATO with and without drugs.
• Achieved diverse drug release profiles (immediate, extended, delayed, pulsatile) based on formulation design.
• Validated the physical properties of the printed dosage forms.

Conclusions:

• Dual material hot-melt inkjet 3D printing offers a versatile platform for personalized solid dosage forms.
• Compritol HD5 ATO is suitable for hot-melt inkjet printing as a matrix or drug-loaded material.
• This technology enables precise control over drug release through material and geometric design.