Fabrication of PCL/β-TCP scaffolds by 3D mini-screw extrusion printing

Scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and PCL composites reinforced with -tricalcium phosphate (-TCP) were manufactured aiming potential tissue engineering applications. They were fabricated using a three-dimensional (3D) mini-screw extrusion printing, a novel additive manufacturing process, which consists in an extrusion head coupled to a 3D printer based on the Fab@Home equipment. Thermal properties were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses. Scaffolds morphology were observed using scanning electron microscopy and computed microtomography; also, reinforcement presence was observed by X-ray diffraction and the polymer chemical structure by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Mechanical properties under compression were obtained by using a universal testing machine and hydrophilic properties were studied by measuring the contact angle of water drops. Finally, scaffolds with 55% of porosity and a pore size of 450 m have shown promising mechanical properties; the -TCP reinforcement improved mechanical and hydrophilic behavior in comparison with PCL scaffolds. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.