Method for supplying inks for three-dimensional printing, and three-dimensional printing method using same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of filling different two-kinds of multiple inks into an ink extruding member for a three-dimensional print and a method of three-dimensional printing using the filled ink, and relates to a three-dimensional printing method using multiple inks comprising a step of applying pressure to the retained multiple inks and extruding it into a single extruding port of the extruding part to prepare an ink extruded product and printing the ink extruded product.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing method comprising a step of providing at least two inks, each of the at least two inks having an unique pattern is separately loaded into an ink-extruding member for three-dimensional printing comprising an ink receiving part and an ink extruding part equipped with a single passage which passes and extrudes the at least two inks, a step of forming an extruded ink product discharged from the ink-extruding part by applying physical force to the ink-extruding member, and extruding the at least two inks ink through the single passage, and a step of printing the extruded ink product on a plate, wherein each of the at least two inks is separately retained without being mixed prior to extrusion.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the printed ink product has a two-dimensional or three-dimensional pattern in the step of providing at least two inks.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the extruded ink product in the ink-extruding member and a cross-section of the extruded ink product have the same pattern.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the at least two inks has 2 cp to 1,000,000 cp of viscosity measured at 25° C.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the viscosity difference between the filled ink product and the printed ink product is 0 to 5,000 cp.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elasticity difference between the filled ink product and the printed ink product is 0 to 10,000 Pa.

7. The method according to claim 1, in the step of providing at least two inks, and the printed ink product are provided into the ink-extruding member simultaneously or sequentially.

8. The method according to claim 7, in the step of providing at least two inks, the ink printed product formed by a three-dimensional printing method is provided after providing the filled ink product.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ink-extruding member comprises an ink receiving part which retains the ink in the internal space and an ink extruding part positioned in the lower part of the ink receiving part and equipped with a single passage which the ink retained in the receiving part passes and is extruded through.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional diameter of the ink provided in the ink-extruding member and a cross-sectional diameter of the extruded ink product is 100:99 to 100:0.1.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the printed product is an artificial tissue.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of preparing the extruded ink product is performed simultaneously or sequentially with the step of providing ink.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ink has different one or more kinds selected from the group consisting of components, content of ink components and physical properties of ink components.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ink comprises a gelling polymer.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two inks comprise one or more kinds selected from the group consisting of a gelling polymer, a cell, a growth factor and an extracellular matrix.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ink-extruding member is equipped with a single passage which passes and extrudes the ink retained in the receiving part.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of applying physical force to the ink-extruding member is performed for extruding the ink to an extruding part, to prepare an extruded ink product having the same cross-sectional pattern as the printed product.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extruded ink product released from the ink-extruding part has the same cross-sectional pattern as the cross-sectional pattern of the ink-receiving part, with the reduced size.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing a process of preparing a filled product of the primary ink and a printed product of the secondary ink according to one example of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing an ink extruding member in which a filled product of the primary ink and a printed product of the secondary ink in the spiral shape and an extruded product obtained therefrom according to one example of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing an ink extruding member in which a filled product of the primary ink and a printed product prepared with three kinds of inks and an extruded product obtained therefrom according to one example of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a drawing schematically showing one example of injecting inks into an ink extruding member by a three-dimensional printing method according to one example of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a drawing schematically showing a method of injecting the secondary to septenary inks by a three-dimensional printing method, in addition to a filled product of the primary ink, into an ink extruding member according to one example of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a photograph of a syringe and an extruding part equipped in the end of syringe showing the process of preparing a filled product of the primary ink and a printed product of the secondary ink according to Example 1.

(7) FIG. 7 is a confocal microscopic photograph showing the result of printing using an extruded product obtained from an ink extruding member in which a filled product of the primary ink and a printed product of the secondary ink in the spiral shape are injected according to Example 1.

(8) FIG. 8 is a confocal microscopic photograph showing the result of printing using a syringe in which a filled product of the primary ink and a printed product of the secondary ink are filled, and an extruded product obtained from the syringe, according to Example 2.

(9) FIG. 9 is a drawing schematically showing an ink extruding member having a receiving part in which 5 different inks are filled according to one example of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 10 is a drawing schematically showing an ink extruding member according to one example of the present invention.

MODE FOR INVENTION

(11) The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited by the following examples.

Example 1: Syringe Comprising Ink Printed Product and Ink Filled Product

(12) The primary hydrogel for filling of 3 w/v % sodium alginate was injected into a syringe which was an ink-receiving part of a three-dimensional printing device. To the syringe in which the primary hydrogel was injected, using a three-dimensional printing device equipped with a long nozzle, 3 w/v % sodium alginate containing green fluorescent particles was injected as the secondary hydrogel by a three-dimensional printing method. One example of specific preparation processes was conducted similarly to the method illustrated in FIG. 1. The ink shape printed on the syringe was photographed and shown in FIG. 2.

(13) The primary hydrogel for filling and the three-dimensional printed hydrogel were printed on the syringe by the three-dimensional printing method using an extruded product obtained through an extruding part by applying pressure, and printed as 3 lines using 1.0 mm of nozzle size (nozzle I.D). When a nozzle, of which nozzle size (nozzle I.D) was 1 mm, was used, the length of the printed cross-section was 30 micrometers, and when a nozzle, of which nozzle size (nozzle I.D) was 2 mm, was used, the length of the printed cross-section was 70 micrometers.

(14) As a result of fluorescent observation of the printed product with a confocal microscope, it was confirmed by the confocal microscope that the hydrogel containing green fluorescent particles was printed. The microscopic photograph was shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 shows the photograph of forming the primary hydrogel for supporting and the secondary hydrogel having a certain shape formed inside by the three-dimensional printing method, using an extruding member comprising an ink-receiving part, according to Example 1. FIG. 7 shows the result of observing the printed product with the confocal microscope, which was prepared by the three-dimensional printing method by extruding the ink-receiving part in which the primary hydrogel and the secondary hydrogel obtained according to Example 1 under pressure conditions. In other words, fluorescent observation of the extruded product with the confocal microscope was same as the drawing of FIG. 7. It showed that inks were printed as separated with high resolution according to the method of the present invention.

Example 2: Three-Dimensional Printing Using Various Sizes of Nozzles

(15) Using the three-dimensional printing device using the same ink extruding member as Example 1, the printing of hydrogels with nozzle sizes of 18, 20, 22, 25 and 27 Gauge was confirmed with a confocal microscope. Specifically, internal diameters of each nozzle of 18, 20, 22, 25 and 27 Gauge were 0.82 mm, 0.63 mm, 0.41 mm, 0.28 mm and 0.1 mm. The confocal microscopic photograph was shown as FIG. 8.

(16) FIG. 8 shows the result of confocal microscope observation showing the printing products of the primary hydrogel filled product and the secondary hydrogel printed product depending on the variation of nozzle size using an extruding member comprising an ink-receiving part according to Example 8. As shown in the cross-sectional view, it was possible to miniaturize in the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the ink extruding member. According to examples of the present invention, the ratio could be miniaturized from the total diameter (15 mm) of a certain shape (Example: Lobule) to 98.7% (200 μm). It was calculated according to the equation.
Downsizing ratio of ink printed product=(A−B)/A×100(%)  [Equation 1]

(17) In the equation 1,

(18) A is a diameter of the primary ink printed product provided in the syringe by the three-dimensional printing method,

(19) and B is a diameter of the secondary printed product of printing ink, and the A and B are units of the same length.

(20) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 ink-receiving member 9.3 mm 9.3 mm 9.3 mm 9.3 mm 9.3 mm (syringe) diameter A 1.38 mm 1.38 mm 1.38 mm 1.38 mm 1.38 mm Nozzle diameter 820 um 630 um 410 um 280 um 100 um B 190 um 160 um 90 um 70 um 30 um Downsizing ratio(%) 86.2 88.4 93.5 94.9 97.8 Size reduction 13.8 11.6 6.5 5.1 2.2 (=B/A × 100%)

Example 3: Ink Printed Product Comprising 2 or More Inks

(21) The primary hydrogel was injected into the same syringe as Example 1. To the syringe in which the hydrogel was injected, using a three-dimensional printing device equipped with a long nozzle, the ink printed products sequentially printing 3 w/v % sodium alginates containing green, blue and red fluorescent particles, respectively, were injected into the syringe, and the printing of the obtained RGB hydrogel was confirmed by a confocal microscope. The syringe filled with the ink printed products prepared with the three kinds of inks and the mimetic diagram of its preparation process were shown in FIG. 7.

(22) According to the method of the present invention, it could be confirmed that not only an ink printed product could be prepared with one ink inside of a syringe, but also an ink printed product could be prepared with 2 or more inks by performing three-dimensional printing, and thus it could be confirmed that various shapes of tissues could be copied.

Example 4: Fabrication of Artificial Blood Vessel Having Lumen Structure

(23) 3 w/v % sodium alginate was injected into the same syringe as Example 1, and using a long nozzle, a temperature-sensitive hydrogel, 3% gelatin was injected into the inside of alginate using a printing method. When prepared complex hydrogels were printed on 200 Mm of calcium chloride, only the alginate gelation was induced and the gelatin was present without being gelled. When the printing structure was put in liquid of 37° C., the gelled alginate maintained the shape itself, but the gelatin was melted and formed the lumen structure.

Example 5: Fabrication of Blood Vessel Comprising Cell and Having Multiple Lumen Structures

(24) A blood vessel structure was copied, through a sequential method of injecting 3 w/v % sodium alginate into the syringe, injecting 3% alginate containing smooth muscle cells at a concentration of 1×10.sup.7 cells/mL or more in the filled 3% alginate, using a three-dimensional printing device equipped with a long nozzle, and injecting 3% gelatin containing vascular endothelial cells at a concentration of 1×10.sup.7 cells/mL or more in the alginate containing smooth muscle cells, by the same method as Example 4. Particularly, aortas or vena cavae of blood vessels were piled up in a quadruple cylinder structure, and through the method, not only a quadruple structure could be easily printed, but also controlling the size was possible. Moreover, a double structure of venules or a single structure of microvessels could be copied similarly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS

(25) 10: ink extruding member 20: extruding part 40, 50: ink extruded product 80: ink extruding port (nozzle) 100: plate

(26) Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the scope of the present invention is determined by the following claims and is not intended to be limited to the aforementioned examples and/or drawings.