MIT engineers 3D print TPU mesh to create flexible medical supports

摘要

Cambridge.Massachusetts-Cambridge,Massachusetts-Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed pliable 3D-printed mesh materials for medical applications such as knee and ankle braces.The flexibility and toughness can be tuned to emulate and support softer tissues such as muscles and tendons.The design of the wavy-patterned flexible meshes was inspired by the pliable nature of fabrics,and the natural structural protein collagen,which resembles curvy,intertwined strands under the microscope.These were printed using thermoplastic polyurethane.The taller the waves,the more the mesh can be stretched at low strain before becoming more stiff.