Additive Manufacturing of Bead-Chain-Shaped Scaffolds with AI-Based Process Optimization.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Traditional grid scaffolds in tissue engineering suffer from low mechanical stiffness due to limited load distribution.
• Advanced structures like TPMS and Kagome offer improved stiffness but involve complex designs and manufacturing.
• There is a need for scaffolds that combine structural simplicity with enhanced mechanical properties for applications like bone regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a Bead-Chain-Shaped (BCS) scaffold that enhances compressive stiffness while retaining design simplicity.
• To develop an AI-based model for optimizing the 3D printing process of BCS scaffolds for improved geometric accuracy and fabrication efficiency.
• To evaluate the mechanical properties and in vitro cell compatibility of the optimized BCS scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Development of an AI model correlating printing parameters (pressure, speed, delay) with geometric accuracy for BCS scaffolds.
• Optimization of printing conditions using the AI model to achieve precise dimensional control and enhance fabrication.
• Mechanical testing (compressive stiffness) and in vitro cell proliferation assays to assess scaffold performance.

Main Results:

• Optimized BCS scaffolds demonstrated significantly increased compressive stiffness (up to 65.7% higher than control).
• Numerical analysis confirmed that increased strand-to-strand contact area directly correlates with enhanced compressive stiffness.
• In vitro assays showed no significant difference in cell proliferation on BCS scaffolds compared to conventional grid structures.

Conclusions:

• The Bead-Chain-Shaped (BCS) scaffold offers a promising solution for bone tissue engineering, balancing enhanced mechanical stiffness with fabrication simplicity.
• AI-driven process optimization enables precise control over BCS scaffold fabrication, improving efficiency and accuracy.
• The BCS scaffold design is biocompatible and suitable for promoting cellular growth, making it a viable alternative to existing scaffold technologies.