Abstract
One significant barrier to the translation of tissue-engineered constructions is vascularization. It is still difficult for manufacturing science to directly fabricate hollow, vascular-like channels inside tissue-like gel materials. Using a robotic-arm controlled 3D printer to move user-defined needle tips through the gel materials is one suggested technique. In order to create the hollow channel inside gels and forecast the amount of insertion force and deflection, the needle gel interaction-related contact phenomenon was both simulated and empirically validated in this work. The geometric shape of the needle tip, speed variations, and gel characteristics are some of the factors that affect needle navigation. It was discovered that high needle diameters produced enormous insertion forces, and that insertion force increased as needle speed increased. Conversely, it was discovered that as the diameter and insertion velocity of the needle increased, the deflection of the needle decreased. Furthermore, a bevel-shaped needle tip displayed a greater deflection than a conical needle tip because of its non-isometric shape. The manufacturing methodology for creating hollow channels for vascularization in tissue-engineered structures and subsurface, enclosed microfluidic research is further developed as a result of this paper.
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