Computer-Aided Optimization in Additive Manufacturing: Processing Parameters and 3D Scaffold Reconstruction

Scaffolds are implantable bio-absorbable systems capable of regenerating osteoporotic bone or other native tissues. Additive Manufacturing processes are used to produce scaffolds with customized external shape and pre-defined internal morphology, allowing some control over pore size and distribution. Despite significant advances in Additive Manufacturing processes, the experimental optimization of processing parameters is time-consuming and expensive usually generating biomaterials waste. Moreover, the manufacturing of such polymeric or hybrid scaffolds requires time-consuming human supervision procedures. Subsequently, measurements of the scaffold's architecture such as filament diameter, distance between two consecutive filaments, pore geometry and size, and total porosity arc usually performed using computer tomography or microscopy, which also requires significant human and physical resources. This research work intends to overcome some aforementioned limitations through the development of a novel approach based on in situ computer-aided optimization of the extrusion-based processing parameters.