The fused-deposition modeling (FDM) process is carried out at an elevated temperature, preventing the addition of biological factors, drugs, bioactive compounds, etc, during fabrication. To overcome this disadvantage, a 3D interlinked porous polylactic acid (PLA) scaffold was fabricated by FDM, followed by the embedding of a polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold into the pores of the PLA at room temperature, yielding a PLA-PCL scaffold. In addition, PLA-PCL scaffolds with nanohydroxyapatite (PLA-PCL-nHAP) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PLA-PCL-MWCNT) were also fabricated. Here, the FDM-fabricated PLA scaffold functions as the structural component, whereas the embedded PCL scaffold acts as the functional component, which provides a the ability to functionalize the scaffolds with the desired chemical or biological materials. The embedding process is straightforward, cost effective, and does not require sophistication. A mechanical characterization of the scaffolds suggests that the Young’s modulus of the PLA-PCL scaffold (16.02 MPa) was higher than that of the FDM-fabricated PLA (9.98 MPa) scaffold, by virtue of embedded PCL matrix. In addition, finite element analysis showed that the von Mises stress on a mandible with scaffolds was 4.04 MPa, whereas for a mandible with a defect, it was 6.7 MPa, confirming the stress distribution efficiency and mechanical stability of these scaffolds. Furthermore, field emission-scanning electron microscope analysis implied the presence of interlinked porous structures with pore diameters of 50 m to 300 m. X-ray diffraction results revealed an increased crystallinity (%) in the embedded models (PLA-PCL, PLA-PCL-nHAP and PLA-PCL-MWCNT), compared to a PLA printed scaffold. Additionally, Raman analysis revealed that the embedding process did not cause chemical alterations in the polymeric chains. In vitro analysis with human osteoblasts demonstrated the osteoconductive nature of the scaffold, which supported mineralization. In brief, the advantage of our model is that it helps to overcome the difficulties of manufacturing a filament with the desired additives for FDM, and offers the ability to incorporate the desired concentrations of heat-labile bioactive molecules during the embedding process at ambient temperatures.

熔融沉积建模 (FDM) 工艺在高温下进行，防止在制造过程中添加生物因子、药物、生物活性化合物等。为了克服这一缺点，通过 FDM 制造 3D 互连多孔聚乳酸 (PLA) 支架，然后在室温下将聚己内酯 (PCL) 支架嵌入 PLA 的孔中，从而产生 PLA-PCL 支架。此外，还制造了具有纳米羟基磷灰石（PLA-PCL-nHAP）和多壁碳纳米管（PLA-PCL-MWCNT）的PLA-PCL支架。在这里，FDM 制造的 PLA 支架用作结构组件，而嵌入的 PCL 支架用作功能组件，它提供了用所需的化学或生物材料对支架进行功能化的能力。嵌入过程简单明了、具有成本效益，并且不需要复杂性。支架的机械特性表明，PLA-PCL 支架的杨氏模量 (16.02 MPa) 高于 FDM 制造的 PLA (9.98 MPa) 支架，这得益于嵌入的 PCL 基质。此外，有限元分析表明，有支架的下颌骨的 von Mises 应力为 4.04 MPa，而有缺陷的下颌骨为 6.7 MPa，证实了这些支架的应力分布效率和机械稳定性。此外，场发射扫描电子显微镜分析表明存在孔径为 50 m 至 300 m 的互连多孔结构。X 射线衍射结果显示嵌入式模型（PLA-PCL，PLA-PCL-nHAP 和 PLA-PCL-MWCNT)，与 PLA 印刷支架相比。此外，拉曼分析显示嵌入过程不会导致聚合物链发生化学变化。对人成骨细胞的体外分析证明了支架的骨传导性，支持矿化。简而言之，我们模型的优势在于它有助于克服制造具有 FDM 所需添加剂的细丝的困难，并提供在环境温度下嵌入过程中结合所需浓度的热不稳定生物活性分子的能力。