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Fig. 4 | 3D Printing in Medicine

Fig. 4

From: Intracranial vasculature 3D printing: review of techniques and manufacturing processes to inform clinical practice

Fig. 4

Examples of different 3D printing techniques and the required support structures. a-b Material extrusion, FDM (Stratasys Fortus, Eden Prairie, MN) model of the intracranial vasculature. a Intracranial vasculature with a water-soluble support structure. b The final model can be printed in only 1–2 materials and 1–2 colors. Resolution and fragility of printable models are dependent on the printer manufacturer and allowable materials. c-d Material jetting (Stratasys Objet 500 Polyjet, Eden Prairie, MN) model of the intracranial vasculature. c A model with surrounding soluble support material that can be removed by placement in a lye or water bath with ultrasonic agitation. d Final model printed in color. Material jetting allows full color multilateral printing. e-f Vat polymerization: SLA (Formlabs Form 2, Boston, MA) model of a posterior communicating aneurysm. e Vascular model with scaffolding support material is standard in this technology and can limit the ability to print complex internal architecture of hollow parts. f Final model with support removed. While flexible materials are available, they do not withstand physiologic pressure for device testing or simulation. g-h Binder jetting (3D Systems Projet 660, Eden Prairie, MN) model of an intracranial aneurysm printed in relation to the skull. g Support material is powder surrounding the print which is easily vacuumed and brushed away, saving significant post-processing time. h Final multicolor model is impregnated with cyanoacrylate to improve durability

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