Developments in Scaffold design and manufacturing in tissue engineering

Abstract

Tissue engineering is an emerging field in engineering science that provides new techniques to improve or replace biological functions and tissues. Tissue engineering requires producing suitable physical structures called scaffolds on which cell formation and proliferation occurs to developed tissue parts. Properly designed scaffolds provide excellent support and play host to the growing cells and assist them in adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. These scaffolds are created by a number of techniques that can be characterized according to their functions. Over the past few years, Fused deposition Modelling (FDM) rapid prototyping process has become a viable process to take over the conventional techniques to fabricate a scaffold because of its many advantages. FDM uses computer based models to precisely fabricate 3D porous scaffold that resembles in shape and size to the replacement organ. The paper aims at presenting an overview of the emerging trends and development taking place in scaffold design and fabrication using the FDM RP process and the modified FDM based processes.