Effect of Printing Parameters on Characteristics of PCL Scaffold Fabricated by Direct Powder Extrusion

Nowadays, 3D printing technology is becoming more popular with various applications. 3D printing is also a potential process in tissue engineering applications for fabricating scaffold. The scaffold needs to have the proper structure and properties to initiate a favorable environment for cell growth and tissue generation. In this study, the customized direct powder extrusion based on screw extruder was developed and the influence of printing parameters including printing speed and temperature on characteristics of scaffolds from PCL powder was investigated. The result evaluation shows that the size of line width and pore size are significantly affected by printing parameters. The optimal printing conditions were obtained at print speed 6 mm/s, extrusion speed 50 rpm, and heating temperature of 100 ℃ to fabricate scaffolds from PCL powder materials. The results are the basis for further studies in optimizing the printing condition for PCL scaffolds based on direct powder extrusion.