SBIR Phase II: Rapid Lift-Based Peel Separation Masked Inverted Stereolithography 3D Printing for Trauma and Emergency Procedural Planning

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project includes the advancement of 3D printing technology that will support improvements in pre-surgical planning of trauma and emergency surgeries via faster delivery of 3D printed anatomical models to the surgeon. High-throughput 1-hour printing enables anatomical model availability for trauma and emergency surgeries that currently have overnight turnaround times. 3D printed anatomical models can help reduce average operating room time, leading to cost savings. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project enables 1-hour 3D printing of patient-specific anatomical models for the timely planning of trauma and emergency surgeries. Currently, 3D printing of these models takes overnight, which prevents their use in time-sensitive procedures. The Phase I effort de-risked the core technology and demonstrated 7.5X speed improvement. A physics-based approach is proposed in Phase II to address risks related to initial layer thickness, resin reflow, and model delicate feature issues identified during Phase I. The anticipated results include the resolution of thick first layers, reduction in reflow time, and identification/prevention of delicate feature failure in printed models, all of which lead to improved surface quality, dimensional accuracy, and print success rate while simultaneously achieving high speed and throughput. The outcome of the effort is expected to be a market ready 5X speed high-quality 3D printer that can be used at hospital 3D printing labs to provide anatomical models to surgeons in under 1 hour. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.