Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010, Graz, Austria.
Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 1;14(1):22773. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73424-6.
In this work, a novel tool for small-scale filament production is presented. Unlike traditional methods such as hot melt extrusion (HME), the device (i) allows filament manufacturing from small material amounts as low as three grams, (ii) ensures high diameter stability almost independent of the viscoelastic behavior of the polymer melt, and (iii) enables processing of materials with rheological profiles specifically tailored toward fused filament fabrication (FFF). Hence, novel materials, previously difficult to process due to HME limitations, become easily accessible for FFF for the first time. Here, we showcase the production of highly flexible drug-free, and drug-loaded filaments based on ethylene-vinyl acetate polymers with a vinyl acetate content of 28 w% (EVA28) and unprecedented high melt flow rates of up to 400 g/10 min. Owing to their low viscosity, FFF with low print nozzle sizes of 250 μm was achieved for the first time for EVA28. These small nozzle diameters facilitate 3D-printing of high-resolution structures in small-dimensional dosage forms such as subcutaneous implantable drug delivery systems, which can later be used for personalization. Consequently, the material portfolio for FFF is tremendously broadened, allowing material and formulation optimization toward FFF, independent of a preliminary extrusion process.
在这项工作中,提出了一种用于小规模长丝生产的新型工具。与传统方法(如热熔挤出(HME))不同,该设备(i)允许从低至三克的少量材料制造长丝,(ii)几乎独立于聚合物熔体的粘弹性行为确保了高直径稳定性,(iii)能够处理针对熔融长丝制造(FFF)专门定制的流变曲线的材料。因此,由于 HME 限制而以前难以加工的新型材料现在首次可以轻松用于 FFF。在这里,我们展示了基于乙烯-醋酸乙烯酯聚合物的高柔韧性、无药物和载药长丝的生产,醋酸乙烯酯含量为 28 w%(EVA28),熔体流动速率前所未有地高达 400 g/10 min。由于其低粘度,首次实现了用于 EVA28 的低打印喷嘴尺寸 250 µm 的 FFF。这些小喷嘴直径有利于在小尺寸剂型(例如皮下植入式药物输送系统)中进行高分辨率结构的 3D 打印,随后可用于个性化定制。因此,FFF 的材料组合大大拓宽,允许独立于初步挤出工艺进行 FFF 的材料和配方优化。