Laser Sintering Fabrication of Highly Porous Models Utilizing Water Leachable Filler-Experimental Investigation into Process Parameters

The authors are developing a laser sintering process to fabricate highly porous models with such high porosities as 90% and more. In the process, water-soluble filler is mixed with designated plastic powder and leached out after laser sintering process is finished to generate pores where the grains used to exist. Previously, the authors reported successful application of this technology on a tissue engineering scaffold. However, relationship between process parameters and obtained results has not been clarified. This paper reports experimental investigation into effects of optimizing process parameters such as mixture, grain size of the filler on resultant porosity, pore size and process resolution