Application of material jetting technology for the development of incision and closure surgical devices

"Material Jetting technology has proven to be very useful in the manufacture of parts with a variety of shapes, consistencies, textures, transparencies and colours, and a great diversity of mechanical properties can be achieved, from low hardness elastomers to rigid materials. Applications range from manufacturing parts in limited production runs with bright, colourful designs to be distributed as marketing items to functional prototypes that closely resemble final products. The possibility of creating digital materials with a wide range of mechanical properties by combining resins that polymerize with UV light makes it possible to approach the final properties of a piece that will later be produced on a larger scale with commercial polymers, both thermoplastic and elastomers, through traditional manufacturing processes such as injection moulding, compression moulding or thermoforming. Keeping in mind these advantages, we have used Polyjet technology for the development of incision and closure surgical devices. The prototypes were manufactured using a combination of resins that allow the properties of commercial elastomers, potentially used for the final product, to be approached. The characteristics of the device, the requirements of the prototypes, and the mechanical properties of the combinations of resins that were considered suitable for this application are described. The differences found between the experimental results and the values reported in the data sheets of the digital materials that were used are discussed."