High Throughput Omnidirectional Printing of Tubular Microstructures from Elastomeric Polymers.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Microfabrication

Background:

• Bioelastomers are crucial for biomedical uses but 3D printing microscale structures remains challenging.
• Existing methods struggle with high-throughput fabrication of perfusable microscale bioelastomer components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-throughput, omnidirectional printing approach for fabricating perfusable bioelastomer microtubes.
• To demonstrate the ability to tune microtube dimensions and mechanical properties to mimic native vasculature.
• To showcase the fabrication of biomimetic structures and microscale features for organ-on-a-chip applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a coaxial extrusion-based 3D printing technique for bioelastomers.
• Employed photocrosslinking and fugitive ink removal to form hollow microtubes.
• Applied designed experiments to optimize microtube dimensions and stiffness.
• Incorporated post-printing laser micromachining to create micro-sized holes for permeability control.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated perfusable elastomeric microtubes with small inner diameters (350-550 µm) and wall thicknesses (40-60 µm).
• Achieved tunable mechanical properties matching native rat vasculature.
• Demonstrated fabrication of biomimetic shapes (cochlea, glomerulus) and microstructured tubes.
• Achieved rapid printing of a 96-well plate device in 3.6 minutes, significantly faster than manual methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed printing approach enables high-throughput, precise fabrication of microscale bioelastomer structures.
• This method offers a versatile platform for creating perfusable constructs for tissue engineering and organ-on-a-chip systems.
• The rapid fabrication speed and tunability make this technique highly promising for advancing biomedical applications.