Indirect fabrication of collagen scaffold based on inkjet printing technique

Purpose - This paper presents a new indirect scaffold fabrication method for soft tissue based on rapid prototyping (RP) technique and preliminary characterization for collagen scaffolds. Design/methodology/approach - This paper introduces the processing steps for indirect scaffold fabrication based on the inkjet printing technology. The scaffold morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The designs of the scaffolds are presented and discussed. Findings - Theoretical studies on the inkjet printing process are presented. Previous research showed that the availability of biomaterial that can be processed on a commercial RP system is very limited. This is due mainly to the unfavorable machine processing parameters such as high working temperature and restrictions on the form of raw material input. The process described in this paper overcomes these problems while retaining the strength of RP techniques. Technical challenges of the process are presented as well. Research limitations/implications - Harnessing the ability of RP techniques to control the internal morphology of the scaffold, it is possible to couple the design of the scaffold with controlled cell-culture condition to modulate the behavior of the cells. However, this is just initial work, further development will be needed. Practical implications - This method enables the designer to manipulate the scaffold at three different length scales, namely the macroscopic scale, intermediate scale and the cellular scale. Originality/value - The work presented in this paper focuses on important processing steps for indirect scaffold fabrication using thermal-sensitive natural biomaterial. A mathematical model is proposed to estimate the height of a printed line.