Additive Manufacturing of Hydroxyapatite Bioceramic Scaffolds with Projection Based 3D Printing

Hydroxyapatite (HA) bioceramics have garnered considerable attention owing to their applications in the field of bone repair and excellent biocompatibility. Compared to extrusion-based 3D printing, projection-based 3D printing (3DPP) can fabricate parts with complex geometry, high accuracy, and efficiency, which is very promising for bioceramic scaffolds. However, conventional 3DPP using a paste with low viscosity will cause severe shrinkage of the parts after sintering, which makes it unsuitable for bioceramic scaffolds, and a system investigation of the printing process remains insufficient. In this study, we proposed a 3DPP device suitable for bioceramic scaffolds and investigated the additive manufacturing of HA scaffolds. Ceramic paste properties and process parameters of curing, debinding, and sintering were initially examined. The mechanical properties, shrinkage, and biocompatibility in vitro of the sintered samples were further investigated. The obtained results indicate that HA bioceramics with uniform morphology, complex structure, and high accuracy can be manufactured using the 3DPP equipment. HA scaffolds have the mechanical strength of human cancellous bone, while HA scaffolds cultured with osteoblast precursor cells possess strong biocompatibility and can promote osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. These results suggest a promising application of the 3DPP technique in the preparation of bioceramic scaffolds, and the HA scaffolds fabricated using the 3DPP technique exhibit promising potential in fulfilling a constructive role in the biomedical field of human bone regeneration repair.