Additive manufacturing encompasses a plethora of techniques to manufacture structures from a computational model. Among them, fused filament fabrication (FFF) relies on heating thermoplastics to their fusion point and extruding the material through a nozzle in a controlled pattern. FFF is a suitable technique for tissue engineering, given that allows the fabrication of 3D-scaffolds, which are utilized for tissue regeneration purposes. The objective of this study is to assess a low-cost/open-source 3D printer (In-House), by manufacturing both solid and porous samples with relevant microarchitecture in the physiological range (100–500 μm pore size), using an equivalent commercial counterpart for comparison. For this, compressive tests in solid and porous scaffolds manufactured in both printers were performed, comparing the results with finite element analysis (FEA) models. Additionally, a microarchitectural analysis was done in samples from both printers, comparing the measurements of both pore size and porosity to their corresponding computer-aided design (CAD) models. Moreover, a preliminary biological assessment was performed using scaffolds from our In-House printer, measuring cell adhesion efficiency. Finally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy – attenuated total reflectance (FTIR–ATR) was performed to evaluate chemical changes in the material (polylactic acid) after fabrication in each printer. The results show that the In-House printer achieved generally better mechanical behavior and resolution capacity than its commercial counterpart, by comparing with their FEA and CAD models, respectively. Moreover, a preliminary biological assessment indicates the feasibility of the In-House printer to be used in tissue engineering applications. The results also show the influence of pore geometry on mechanical properties of 3D-scaffolds and demonstrate that properties such as the apparent elastic modulus (E_app) can be controlled in 3D-printed scaffolds.

增材制造包含大量的技术来从计算模型制造结构。其中，熔融长丝制造（FFF）依赖于将热塑性塑料加热到其熔融点，然后以受控方式通过喷嘴挤出材料。FFF是一种适用于组织工程的合适技术，因为它允许制造3D支架，并将其用于组织再生。这项研究的目的是通过使用具有相同生理范围（100-500μm孔径）的相关微结构来制造固体和多孔样品，从而评估低成本/开源3D打印机（内部）商业对手进行比较。为此，我们对两台打印机制造的固体和多孔支架进行了压缩测试，将结果与有限元分析（FEA）模型进行比较。此外，还对两台打印机的样品进行了微体系结构分析，将孔径和孔隙率的测量值与其相应的计算机辅助设计（CAD）模型进行了比较。此外，使用我们的In-House打印机的支架进行了初步的生物学评估，以测量细胞粘附效率。最后，使用傅立叶变换红外光谱法-衰减全反射率（FTIR-ATR）来评估每台打印机制造后材料（聚乳酸）中的化学变化。结果表明，与分别的FEA和CAD模型相比，In-House打印机的机械性能和分辨能力总体上优于商用打印机。而且，初步的生物学评估表明，在组织工程应用中使用室内打印机的可行性。结果还显示了孔几何形状对3D支架力学性能的影响，并证明了诸如表观弹性模量（E_app）可以在3D打印的支架中进行控制。