Predictive Modeling of Polymer Saturation in Porous 3D Printed Matrix

Abstract

Due to the accuracy, speed, and ability to produce controllable complex geometries, additive manufacturing has gained traction in the medical industry. Additive manufacturing based on powder binder-jetting allows fabricating composite ceramic artifacts to mimic the physical properties of cortical bone. Given the porous nature of the artifacts their physical properties can be manipulated based on the percentage of solid matrix and adhesive binder. It has been demonstrated that a reduction of porosity via infiltration greatly increases the mechanical properties of the artifact. In this paper experiments are presented investigating the post processing of porous materials using different adhesives to infiltrate the artifact. The resulting saturation and porosity profiles of the produced composite are analyzed.