Methods for additively manufacturing medical devices using bioglass fiber reinforced polymers
Disclosed herein are methods for manufacturing medical devices, such as implants, joint replacements, graft materials, augmentation materials, prosthetic materials, etc., from solid material reinforced curable resins. Methods of repositioning a patient's teeth using such medical devices are also provided.
1 . A method of manufacturing a finished product for a medical device, the method comprising:
providing a curable resin comprising a solid material dispersed therethrough, wherein the cured resin has a first solubility, and the solid material has a second solubility, wherein the second solubility is at least 102 times greater than the first solubility in water at 25° C. and a pH of 7;
curing a portion of the curable resin, thereby forming a cured resin; and
separating an uncured portion of the curable resin from the cured resin, thereby producing the medical device comprising the cured resin; and
treating the cured resin with a solvent to remove a portion of the solid material exposed from a surface of the cured resin while retaining another portion of the solid material embedded within the cured resin.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid material is bioglass or bioglass fiber.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the medical device comprises a dental aligner, an expander or a spacer.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid material comprises a metal, a metal oxide, a metal sulfide, a ceramic, a salt, silica, a carbon allotrope, or a combination thereof.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises an aqueous solvent.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent is supercritical CO 2 .
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first solubility is 10 −2 g/L in water at 25° C. and a pH of 7, and the second solubility is in a range of 5 mg/L and 5000 mg/L in water at 25° C. and a pH of 7.
8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the bioglass comprises at least one, at least two, at least three, or all four of Na 2 O, CaO, SiO 2 , and P 2 O 5 .
9 . A method of manufacturing a surface modified device, the method comprising:
providing a curable resin comprising a reinforcement material dispersed therethrough;
curing a portion of the curable resin, thereby forming a cured resin with a first portion of the reinforcement material embedded within the cured resin and a second portion of the reinforcement material exposed from a surface of the cured resin;
separating an uncured portion of the curable resin from the cured resin; and
removing at least a portion of the second portion of the reinforcement material, thereby forming the surface modified device, wherein the removing comprises dissolving the at least a portion of the second portion of the reinforcement material.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the reinforcement material comprises bioglass or bioglass fiber.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the curing comprises photopolymerization.
12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the separating comprises removing the cured resin from a vat comprising the curable resin.
13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the dissolving comprises use of an organic solvent and salt water.
14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first portion of the reinforcement material is retained within the cured resin during the removing at least a portion of the second portion of the reinforcement material.
15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein during the removing at least 80% of the second portion of the reinforcement material is removed in less than 5 minutes.
16 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the curable resin comprises an acrylate or a methacrylate.
17 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the reinforcement material is bioactive.
18 . The method of claim 9 , wherein, during the curing the curable resin shrinks at least 5% less than the curable resin lacking the reinforcement material.
19 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the reinforcement material is homogeneously or randomly dispersed throughout the curable resin.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the reinforcement material is homogeneously dispersed prior to or concurrent with the curing of the portion of the curable resin.