Selective laser sintering and its application in biomedical engineering

Rapid prototyping (RP) technologies, which are based on computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, are widely employed in traditional industries. They are capable of achieving extensive and detailed control over the architecture of objects to be formed and therefore are increasingly used in the biomedical engineering field. Selective laser sintering (SLS), a versatile RP technique, uses a laser beam to selectively sinter powdered materials to form three-dimensional objects according to designs that can be based on data obtained from computer-based medical imaging technologies. In this article relating to biomedical applications, the principle, materials, machine modification, and parameter optimization for SLS are reviewed. Biomedical applications of SLS, especially in the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds and drug/biomolecule delivery vehicles, are presented and discussed. SLS exhibits great potential for many applications in biomedical engineering.