3D Printing of Biocompatible PAPC + nylon66 for Mimicking Traditional Foaming Methods

The biocompatible synthetic polymers with foaming agents produce porous medical devices, implants and filtration products. These foaming agents are either super critical fluids or chemical additives which are very expensive. Further, many of these foamed synthetic polymers have little structural integrity and fail to meet biological requirements such as USP Class VI. The processing of supercritical fluids even chemical additives have limitations which decompose above 240C . The 3D printing process is a replacement of traditional foaming methods because of minimal or no pressure or compression of liquids or solid. The 3D printing process utilizing Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) method have produced a digitized foam with thermally conductive Nylon11, 12 and TPU. However, the digitized foam but fails to replace the traditional foaming methods due to symmetrical macro size pores. The SLS printing method with Polyamide / Nylon, Polyolefin and Cellulose (PAPC) has produced a biocompatible structural part, having a random cellular structure with micropores < 50 micron. Further, the SLS printing of an advanced PAPC+Nylon66 shows absorbency with soaking limitations having little if any degradation. We believe the cellulose fiber with PAPC+Nylon66 will also absorb toxic gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide which can be very instrumental in producing 3D printed biocompatible medical filters. Additional features with SLS printed PAPC+Nylon 66 include a radio dense image to generate data from a non contact sensor - CT Scan or Xray. The radio density data input of the printed PAPC will help in developing machine learning and part quality.