Hollow 3D Printed Microneedles: Design and Printing Parameters Optimization
摘要
Microneedles (MNs) are needles with a diameter and length in the micron range. Particularly, hollow MNs have an internal lumen to allow fluid flow. These needles are highly interesting for point-of-care diagnostic applications, as they are minimally invasive and virtually painless. 3D printing has emerged as a promising new technology for creating novel designs, improving efficiency, and increasing the functionality of MNs. This work presents the design, development, and evaluation of DLP 3D printed hollow MNs. Different shapes, dimensions, printing parameters, and materials are investigated. MN’s matrices are fabricated using common and biocompatible resin and assessed through visual inspection, calculating the obstruction percentage. The main challenge of this work was finding the right combination of printing parameters (3 mm object elevation height, 32° printing angle, 0.3 mm base array height, supports manually located at the laterals of the array, and the design of continuous microchannels) to produce unobstructed microneedles in both resin types.