Multi-Stage Thermal Modelling of Extrusion-Based Polymer Additive Manufacturing

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Additive manufacturing offers promising routes for fabricating bone tissue scaffolds using biodegradable semi-crystalline polymers.
• The layer-by-layer deposition process involves complex thermal cycles due to reheating of previously deposited material, impacting scaffold properties and inter-layer adhesion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel multi-stage numerical model for simulating the thermal evolution during the additive manufacturing of polymer scaffolds.
• To investigate the influence of deposition parameters, specifically deposition velocity, on the thermal behavior and layer dimensions.

Main Methods:

• A multi-stage numerical model was developed, integrating a 2D dynamic deposition simulation with a 3D thermal evolution model.
• The model simulates the solidification and reheating processes inherent in layer-by-layer polymer printing.

Main Results:

• Numerical simulations demonstrated that deposition velocity significantly influences the spatial dimensions of printed layers and the cooling dynamics between successive layers.
• The model accurately predicted thermal cycles during the fabrication of polymer scaffolds.

Conclusions:

• The developed numerical model provides a valuable tool for predicting thermal cycles in additive manufacturing of polymer scaffolds.
• Accurate thermal cycle prediction is essential for optimizing the design and ensuring the mechanical integrity of additively manufactured bone tissue scaffolds.