A new antibacterial material for 3D printing is underway

Andaltec, a Spanish research center specializing in polymer plastics research, has announced that it is working on new, active 3D printing materials. They are characterized by antibacterial properties, thanks to which elements made of them can be successfully used in the world of medicine.

The project is called PoliM3D, and its goal is to develop antibacterial filaments that can be used to produce elements in FDM technology. The materials are to be used to manufacture non-standard implants, prostheses and surgical instruments suitable for specific applications. The project is financed by Spanish government funding for research and development and will last until the end of 2021.

The task of the scientists involved in the project, thanks to their properties, new, antibacterial materials can be successfully used for the safe production of medical device components. At the same time, the ongoing work will focus on optimizing the 3D printing process from active materials, so that their manufacture allows achieving high quality elements and precision.

Antonio Peñas, project manager, admits that the possibility of combining 3D printing technology with special materials gives completely new possibilities for the production of parts for hospitals and other medical units. The current situation, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, drew the attention of researchers to the possibilities offered by “on-demand” production in a place where 3D printing is necessary. The work will be carried out with representatives of Spanish hospitals – project members want health representatives to be able to operate 3D printers and use them at work to facilitate their tasks.

Due to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, antibacterial materials are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to standard filaments. Below is a link to the list of the most popular materials with antibacterial properties:

Antibacterial filaments, especially in the current situation, can be used, among others as materials for the production of safe protective masks. The effectiveness of their operation is demonstrated by research – the results of antibacterial analyzes of Copper3D filaments were presented by the manufacturer himself. He said that their filament effectively neutralizes viruses and microbes, which in the case of standard plastics can remain active on the surface of objects up to 72 hours. The use of materials with antibacterial properties reduces the risk of virus transmission, thus reducing the rate of its spread.

Source: www.centrumdruku3d.pl