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Published on: September 12, 2018
Sustainable Thermal Post-Processing of PLA 3D Prints: Increased Dimensional Precision and Autoclave Compatibility
Florina Chiscop1, Carmen-Cristiana Cazacu1, Dragos-Alexandru Cazacu2
1Robots and Production Systems Department, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Splaiul Independenței 313, 060041 Bucharest, Romania.
Polylactic acid (PLA) components fabricated with fused deposition modeling (FDM) can withstand autoclave sterilization after thermal annealing. This process enhances dimensional stability, enabling the creation of cost-effective, reusable medical devices from biodegradable PLA.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biobased, biodegradable polymer with potential for medical applications.
- Limited thermal stability of PLA restricts its use in high-temperature sterilization methods like autoclaving.
- Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a common 3D printing technique for fabricating PLA components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the thermal properties and autoclave sterilization efficacy of FDM-fabricated PLA components.
- To determine if thermal post-processing can enhance PLA's suitability for medical sterilization.
- To assess the viability of producing cost-efficient, autoclavable PLA medical devices.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of PLA specimens (cylindrical, rectangular, curved) using FDM.
- Thermal post-processing via constrained annealing with salt or silicone embedding.
- Exposure of annealed specimens to elevated temperatures simulating sterilization conditions.
- Autoclave testing of a complex PLA component (Easy Bone Collector shell) at 134 °C.
Main Results:
- Annealed PLA specimens demonstrated dimensional stability above 170 °C.
- Post-autoclave testing, the Easy Bone Collector shell retained its shape and functionality.
- Thermal conditioning significantly improved PLA's compatibility with steam sterilization procedures.
Conclusions:
- Appropriately thermally conditioned PLA can be used to manufacture cost-efficient, autoclavable components for medical use.
- This study presents a sustainable method for producing reusable or single-use PLA devices compatible with sterilization.
- PLA offers a promising alternative for low-volume or disposable medical applications where biodegradability is beneficial.
