Infrared Curing of Liquid Biocompatible Polymers for Flexible Implants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing methods cannot directly produce soft-tissue medical implants using liquid raw materials without UV crosslinkers, limiting the production of flexible and anatomically matched implants for individual patients, and restricting the choice of biocompatible materials due to the rarity of photosensitive plastics compatible with long-term applications.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for additive manufacturing using a liquid raw material that solidifies upon computer-controlled, targeted infrared light irradiation, allowing for the production of flexible and highly elastic components, such as soft-tissue implants, by altering the light beam's impact point and using preheated, prepolymer materials with added curing-promoting agents, enabling precise and rapid creation of complex, anatomically matched medical implants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UV crosslinking is used to solidify liquid raw material in additive manufacturing, then manufacturing precision and speed are improved, but material selection is limited to photosensitive plastics which are rare and not authorized for long-term medical applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the solidification mechanism from UV photochemical crosslinking to thermal curing. By using infrared radiation instead of UV light, the process can cure a broader range of materials including silicones and other biocompatible polymers that are not photosensitive but are thermally curable, thus expanding material selection while maintaining manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the UV irradiation mechanism with infrared radiation heating. This replacement allows the use of thermal curing chemistry instead of photopolymerization, enabling the use of medically authorized materials like silicones that cure through thermal activation rather than UV exposure
2Ease of operation
If liquid raw material is dispensed without immediate solidification, then ease of dispensing is improved, but the material flows away or flows apart rapidly from the application point reducing manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies infrared radiation immediately upon material dispensing to initiate rapid thermal curing. This preliminary solidification action prevents the liquid material from flowing away while maintaining ease of dispensing, as the material solidifies in place at the application point
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition from liquid to solid state through thermal curing. The infrared radiation provides rapid heating that triggers the phase change at the dispensing location, ensuring the material maintains its placed position while preserving the benefits of liquid-state dispensing
3Manufacturing precision
If photosensitive plastics are used for additive manufacturing of medical implants, then manufacturing precision is improved, but biocompatibility and long-term authorization are compromised due to rarity of such materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the curing parameter from UV exposure to thermal activation. This allows the use of thermally curable biocompatible materials like silicones that have established medical authorization, while maintaining manufacturing precision through controlled infrared radiation heating and precise thermal curing parameters
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of flexible and highly elastic medical implants with specific elasticity values, improving anatomical matching and reducing development and authorization costs, while allowing the use of established biocompatible materials, enhancing the precision and speed of the manufacturing process and ensuring the implants' functionality and safety.
Implementation Method 1
computer-controlled, punctual targeted light irradiation, heated and thereby solidified
Implementation Method 2
the raw material applied in liquid form can be cured in a targeted manner relatively rapidly
Implementation Method 3
liquid raw material solidifiable by heating
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a component (10) by a generative manufacturing process, wherein the component is entirely or partially produced from a liquid raw material (12), characterised in that the component is entirely or partially produced from a liquid raw material (12) that can solidify when heated, the raw material is discharged in liquid form into a manufacturing zone (1) and heated and hence solidified by a computer-controlled, targeted light spot, in that the point of incidence of a light beam (8) from a light beam source is continuously and/or gradually modified relative to the manufacturing zone (1).