3D printing of silicone and polyurethane elastomers for medical device application: A review

Abstract

Elastomers play a significant role across different fields including healthcare. They have similar mechanical properties to some of the soft tissues of the human body, which makes them useful in applications such as implants and prosthetics. However, forming elastomers for tailored-fit medical devices using 3D printing is still not yet widely utilized because of the current problems seen as innate to the elastomer properties, and the principles of 3D printing techniques. With a focus on silicone and polyurethane, this review details the state-of-the-art 3D printing techniques that are being modified over the years to allow its printability for medical applications. The paper also discusses the manufacturing challenges faced by the researchers in printing elastomers, and how these challenges are currently being addressed. This review paper shows further research direction and hopes to initiate further development of these solutions. This will allow the 3D printing of elastomers to gain widespread use in patient-specific medical devices and components with optimized functionality in the near future.