Improvement of mechanical properties of polycaprolactone scaffolds by applying piezoelectric vibration system based on a dispensing process: A new concept

The mechanical properties of biomedical scaffolds are important for applications in tissue regeneration. The dispensing system described herein, which is based on a solid free‐form fabrication technique, enables the production of design‐based scaffolds with controllable pore structures. Although current plotting systems can easily fabricate a variety of three‐dimensional scaffolds, the mechanical properties of these constructs are difficult to control because of low processing speed. To overcome this limitation, a new dispensing method, which uses a piezoelectric vibration system to improve mechanical properties, has been developed. Polycaprolactone (PCL) strands fabricated using this technique were roughly 70% stronger than normal PCL strands. To explain this increase in mechanical strength, the combined effects of the piezoelectric system and the melt‐dispensing process on the crystalline morphology and molecular orientation of PCL strands were investigated. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers