Additive manufacturing of polymer melts for implantable medical devices and scaffolds

Melt processing is routinely used to fabricate medical polymeric devices/implants for clinical reconstruction and can be incorporated into quality systems procedures for medical device manufacture. As additive manufacturing (AM) becomes increasingly used for biomaterials and biofabrication, the translation of new, customizable, medical devices to the clinic becomes paramount. Melt processing is therefore a distinguishable group within AM that provides an avenue to manufacture scaffolds/implants with a clinical end-point. Three key melt processing AM technologies are highlighted in this review: melt micro-extrusion, selective laser sintering and melt electrospinning writing. The in vivo (including clinical) outcomes of medical devices and scaffolds made with these processes are reviewed. Together, they encompass the melt AM of scaffold architectures with feature sizes and resolutions ranging from 800 nm up to 700 μm.