3D Printing in Regenerative Medicine: Technologies and Resources Utilized

Over the past ten years, the use of additive manufacturing techniques, also known as “3D printing”, has steadily increased in a variety of scientific fields. There are a number of inherent advantages to these fabrication methods over conventional manufacturing due to the way that they work, which is based on the layer-by-layer material-deposition principle. These benefits include the accurate attribution of complex, pre-designed shapes, as well as the use of a variety of innovative raw materials. Its main advantage is the ability to fabricate custom shapes with an interior lattice network connecting them and a porous surface that traditional manufacturing techniques cannot adequately attribute. Such structures are being used for direct implantation into the human body in the biomedical field in areas such as bio-printing, where this potential is being heavily utilized. The fabricated items must be made of biomaterials with the proper mechanical properties, as well as biomaterials that exhibit characteristics such as biocompatibility, bioresorbability, and biodegradability, in order to meet the strict requirements that such procedures impose. The most significant biomaterials used in these techniques are listed in this work, but their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed in relation to the aforementioned properties that are crucial to their use

Σχεδίαση και χαρακτηρισμός τρισδιάστατων δομών για βιοϊατρικές εφαρμογές

The present thesis features three main targets, the fulfillment of whichmay contribute towards promoting the already gained knowledge in the field ofscaffold structures fabricated via 3D printing.The first target was the material property and structure integrityinvestigation in FDM 3D printing method using a non-destructive techniquepresented in Chapters 3 and 4. In brief, residual strains developed duringsolidification upon the completion of the 3D printing process were measured.This was made feasible by using FBG optical sensors which were embeddedinside 3D printed rectangular solid specimens. The experiments wereconducted in two different printers that both use the same material to allowcomparability of results The second target was the design and fabricationof scaffold structures via 3D printing (Chapter 5). Crucial parameters likeporosity percentage and pore size were taken under consideration. CADsoftware was used in order to come up with three different scaffold designs.Two of the proposed scaffold designs were based on designs alreadypresented in the literature that were, however, solely investigated for theirfluidic characteristics. In our case all scaffold designs were investigated from amechanical behavior characteristics point of view. The third scaffold designwas conceived in an attempt to come up with simpler geometries that exhibitbetter fluidic characteristics. The scaffold designs were forwarded to the 3Dprinter that fabricated the final scaffold specimens. Results from chapter 4were considered when planning the 3D printing.The third target was the scaffold structures’ mechanical testing in orderto come up with the design that would exhibit the finest mechanical behavior(Chapter 6). All scaffold specimens were subjected to compressive testing inorder to experimentally obtain their structural moduli and maximumcompressive strength. Two more scaffold specimen batches with differentporosities were fabricated in order to investigate the contribution of porositypercentage to the structures’ mechanical behavior. FEM studies were alsoconducted in order to predict experimental mechanical testing results (Chapter7). FEM studies were also utilized in investigating the mechanical response ofthe aforementioned scaffold structures assuming they were made out of thebiomaterial hydroxyapatite (HA). In addition, the shear mechanical behavior ofthe three scaffold designs was also investigated by employing FEM studies.The last chapters present in detail all issues, results and experimentaldetails. In the beginning of each chapter a small-scale introduction is given inan attempt to familiarize the reader with each process used alongside withconcluding paragraphs that serve as links to the next chapters. Allexperiments were performed at the Laboratory of Advanced ManufacturingTechniques & Testing of the Department of Industrial Management &Technology of University of Piraeus except from a part of the compressivetesting experiments that were conducted at the Laboratory for Testing andMaterials, Department of Mechanics at the School of Applied Mathematicaland Physical Science of National Technical University of Athens

Digital Twins in the Automotive Industry: The Road toward Physical-Digital Convergence

A newly introduced term in the field of simulating an artificial or physical system is that of the “Digital Twin” concept method. It employs a digital representation and modeling method, capable of expanding and improving the life cycle of complex items, systems, and processes. Nowadays, digital twin technology has become a key research field worldwide. In this context, it is applied and utilized in various fields. One such field is the automotive industry, a technological field that has great implications in users’ everyday life. Digital twin technology not only has great contributions from the initial stages of design until the final construction stages of vehicles, but also during its use, drawing useful information from its daily functions and making the driving experience more enjoyable, comfortable, and safe. It is worth noting that the vehicles that can greatly benefit from the use of digital twins are electric vehicles, which has tended to acquire greater shares in the last decade

3D printing technology in musical instrument research : reviewing the potential

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss additive manufacturing (AM) in the context of applications for musical instruments. It examines the main AM technologies used in musical instruments, goes through a history of musical applications of AM and raises the questions about the application of AM to create completely new wind instruments that would be impossible to produce with conventional manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach: A literature research is presented which covers a historical application of AM to musical instruments and hypothesizes on some potential new applications. Findings: AM has found extensive application to create conventional musical instruments with unique aesthetics designs. It’s true potential to create entirely new sounds, however, remains largely untapped. Research limitations/implications: More research is needed to truly assess the potential of additive manufacturing to create entirely new sounds for musical instrument. Practical implications: The application of AM in music could herald an entirely new class of musical instruments with unique sounds. Originality/value: This study highlights musical instruments as an unusual application of AM. It highlights the potential of AM to create entirely new sounds, which could create a whole new class of musical instruments

3D Printing and Implementation of Digital Twins: Current Trends and Limitations

Fabricating objects with desired mechanical properties by utilizing 3D printing methods can be expensive and time-consuming, especially when based only on a trial-and-error test modus operandi. Digital twins (DT) can be proposed as a solution to understand, analyze and improve the fabricated item, service system or production line. However, the development of relevant DTs is still hampered by a number of factors, such as a lack of full understanding of the concept of DTs, their context and method of development. In addition, the connection between existing conventional systems and their data is under development. This work aims to summarize and review the current trends and limitations in DTs for additive manufacturing, in order to provide more insights for further research on DT systems

A Modern Approach towards an Industry 4.0 Model: From Driving Technologies to Management

Every so often, a confluence of novel technologies emerges that radically transforms every aspect of the industry, the global economy, and finally, the way we live. These sharp leaps of human ingenuity are known as industrial revolutions, and we are currently in the midst of the fourth such revolution, coined Industry 4.0 by the World Economic Forum. Building on their guideline set of technologies that encompass Industry 4.0, we present a full set of pillar technologies on which Industry 4.0 project portfolio management rests as well as the foundation technologies that support these pillars. A complete model of an Industry 4.0 factory which relies on these pillar technologies is presented. The full set of pillars encompasses cyberphysical systems and Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and big data, robots and drones, cloud computing, 5G and 6G networks, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, and blockchain technology. These technologies are based on a set of foundation technologies which include advances in computing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials, energy, and finally cube satellites. We illustrate the confluence of all these technologies in a single model factory. This new factory model succinctly demonstrates the advancements in manufacturing introduced by these modern technologies, which qualifies this as a seminal industrial revolutionary event in human history