Microdispenser 3D Printing

Abstract

Dispensing various materials into three-dimensional structures by automatically guiding a microdispenser is used in many industrial applications. Printing a variety of biomaterials has also been successful [1]. The use of these systems for deployment in dental implantology and otolaryngology mandates a miniaturization process. In the limited workspace, a microdispenser must be capable of high-precision control since only small tolerance ranges are allowed to achieve suitable shape congruence between implant and bone for successful implantological treatment of patients [2,3]. Apart from miniaturization, dispensing highly viscous materials in small volumes presents formidable challenges [4]. Basic physical phenomena, for example, such as Rayleigh instability, which favors droplet formation of the dispensed material, and shear effects must be controlled and used in a targeted manner. Innovative concepts to develop a high-precision dispensing head suitable for highly viscous materials must be achieved to overcome these challenges and enable the usage of small three-dimensional dispensed implants during surgery inside the human body.