Open AccessADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF HOLLOW MICRONEEDLES FOR INSULIN DELIVERY
Author(s) -
Iakovos Xenikakis,
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Konstantinos Tsongas,
Emmanouil K. Tzimtzimis,
Dimitrios Tzetzis,
Dimitrios G. Fatouros,
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Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of modern manufacturing technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.197
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2067-3604
DOI - 10.54684/ijmmt.2021.13.3.185
Subject(s) - stereolithography , materials science , 3d printing , bevel , curing (chemistry) , polymerization , composite material , engineering drawing , mechanical engineering , polymer , engineering
Microneedles (MN) are miniature devices capable of perforating painlessly stratum corneum and delivering active ingredients in the inner epidermal layers. Hollow microneedles (HMNs) are highly detailed objects due to their internal microchannels and thus, their fabrication with Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a challenging task. Vat polymerization techniques provide a sufficient accuracy for such microstructures. Differentiated from other approaches where stereolithography and 2-photon polymerization were adopted, this paper presents the 3D-printing of HMNs purposed for insulin delivery, using the more economic Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) method. First, different geometries (hexagon, square pyramid, beveled) were 3D printed with constant height and varying curing time, printing angle and layer resolution. Quality features in each case were captured with optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The most promising geometry was found to be the beveled one due to the more refined tip area and the feasibility of non-clogged microchannel formation. Among printing parameters, printing angle proved to be the most influential, as it affects resin flow phenomenon during printing process. Lastly, optimized HMN geometry was the beveled configuration, where the average height was measured 900μm, 3D printing angle was set at -45°, the curing time was 10s per layer and the optimal layer height was 30μm.