| Abstract: | This paper shows the development of software that calculates and generates the 3-D printing path for tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds. It is compatible with Fab@Home platform, which works with additive manufacturing (AM) extrusion processes. The software was named BioScaffolds PG; it allows obtaining 0/90° architectures of square and circular scaffolds. In the software interface, the user can easily define the scaffold geometry, then, it generates a file with a continuous path, which can be exported to the 3-D printer software; the continuous path is an advantage since the 3-D printer does not need to stop the process between layers, minimizing morphological defects related to the AM process. Several tests were carried out to evaluate the compatibility between BioScaffolds PG and Fab@Home softwares. Furthermore, polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds were fabricated and morphologically characterized, where suitable scaffold morphologies were obtained. It was found that the software works properly and can be used in TE researching to reduce the computer-aided design (CAD) time usually required in this kind of applications. |
